Slaves to Two Masters

Scripture: Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. Ephesians 6:5-8

Observation: In his instructions to all classes of people, Paul instructs slaves to obey their masters just as they would obey Christ. This is consistent with his instructions to respect earthly structures of authority. I believe, based on the test, Paul states three reasons for doing this:

1) Their obedience will be seen by their masters, who in turn will give them favor. This favor lightens their burden on earth.

2) Their good work, regardless of their vocation, will be seen by God, who will also reward them for good work.

3) Mixed into the good work, they are to also do the Lord's work - the will of God. This would include witnessing about Jesus to their masters. This can only be done within the context of both communication and trust, which must be earned.

Application: We are all slaves in some manner - we all have earthly bosses we must listen to. That relationship makes up a tremendous portion of our time and energy on earth, and practicality says that limiting the stress in that scenario is best for all people.

When I perform well at work, I get opportunities to have some freedoms ... like spending my lunch hour reading the Bible. When I earn the respect of others, I can more easily have conversations with them about my faith and at least be listened to. In other words, doing good work creates the opportunity to do God's work in my location.

For this reason, I need to remain focused on the idea that this is my 'holy vocation' ... for whatever reason, God has decided that my ministry will involve working as a government IT director. He has put me in a place that is challenging from a Christian outreach perspective, and my quality of work creates the avenue for me to take on that challenge. I must continue to preform well for HIS purposes, not for mine.

Prayer: Lord, please do bless this place and the people here. Let me carry that blessing as you would, in your words, in your ways, and in your time. Amen.