Tag Archives: masters

SLAVES, YET FREE

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SLAVES, YET FREE

Slaves, in reverent fear of God, submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (1 Peter 2: 18-20)

Why did Peter expect such a huge thing of Christian slaves? Surely, they had the right, as human beings, to resist harsh treatment even if they were only slaves? In God’s sight, they had every right to be treated with dignity in the same way as any free person. Yet Peter was telling them to submit to their masters even if they were ill-treated. What good would that do? Would it not reinforce their masters’ attitude that it was okay to abuse them?

It all depends on from whose perspective you look at it. From the world’s point of view, it is perfectly in order to resist abuse and harsh treatment. Whether one goes on strike, joins a protest march or resorts to some form of retaliation, this is the way to go. One has to express one’s dissatisfaction in a way that hurts the employer so that he knows that his behaviour is not appreciated. Accepting to status quo without some sort of protest is considered weakness.

However, if look at it from God’s perspective, we must ask the question, ”In the end, who was the slave serving?” Since everything is about God, through God and for God, doing one’s job is about serving Him.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Col. 3:23-24)

Everything we do in life, the way we do it and the attitude we show towards those in authority over us reveals our attitude towards God. It’s all about Him. After all, He treats us according to His own nature and never in response to our good or bad attitudes. Yes, He disciplines us when we step out of line, but not to get even with us, but to purify us so that we can share His holiness.

However, there is a flipside to this kind of situation. The right thing for any slave or employee is to submit to the master/employer, good or bad. Masters are in charge and they choose the way that they will handle their staff but, and here’s the crunch, they are also accountable to God for the way they treat their underlings.

Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism. (Col. 3:25)

Slaves and employees are called to act like their Master, who never reacted to people the way they treated Him. He always responded out of who He was, the Son of God, not who they were – enemies. He was accountable to the Father for the right responses to people.

What a difference we could make in the world if we, as followers of Jesus, really got a hold of this principle! When we retaliate, we contribute to the chaos in the world by adding our sin to the sins of those who mistreat us. When we absorb the evil in ourselves by responding with humble submission, we put the cruel master to shame and stop the evil right there.

Paul dealt with this issue in the context of lawsuits. Corinthian believers were taking each other to heathen courts instead of settling disputes among themselves.

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? (1 Cor, 6:7-9a)

One thing we must remember – the way an employer treats his employee is a revelation of what’s in his own heart; the way we respond is a revelation of ours! When you squeeze a lemon, lemon juice comes out! If we are truly the sons and daughters of God, we will behave like His children, free from the attitudes that drive the world.

Now that is true freedom!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

HARMONY IN THE WORKPLACE

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HARMONY IN THE WORKPLACE

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 favour when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God 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. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favouritism (Eph. 6:5-9).

The third pair of interactive people on Paul’s list is slaves and masters. Although he mentions slaves first, and gives detailed instructions for the correct way to think and act as believing slaves, once again it is the master who should set the tone for honour and respect and faithful service from his slaves.

In Paul’s day, there were slaves and masters across the entire Roman Empire. Whenever an army conquered a nation, they brought back many of their vanquished foes as slaves. The unfortunate victims were sold in the slave market to the highest bidder and became the property of the slave-owner. Their owners treated them as goods and could do with them as they pleased.

Many slave-owners were cruel and heartless, breaking up families and selling off children and beating their slaves mercilessly for any and every infringement of their whims. Slaves had no recourse to justice. They were forced to submit to whatever treatment was meted out to them without protest.

It was important for believing slaves to get their thinking straight. They were not only to give faithful and loyal service to masters who treated them well, but also to those who mistreated them, period. They were now citizens of another kingdom where the right thing to do was to obey, whether they were treated well or not. They were serving, not a human master, but their Master, Jesus, who showed them what was right, even if they were treated unjustly.

Let’s examine this way of living a little more carefully. Why should slaves not rebel if they were treated harshly? For two reasons: firstly, if they reacted to cruelty with a bad attitude, they would be guilty of sin. As children of God, they were to maintain a good conscience before God.

Secondly, they were to remember that their real Master was Jesus, not some capricious and cruel earthly tyrant. The way they served was more important than who they served. If they kept their eye on Jesus, they would serve Him with excellence regardless of the way their masters treated them.

These instructions should also apply in any employer/employee situation because they are based on timeless principles. However, once again it is the one with greater responsibility and accountability who should set the tone for harmony in the workplace. It is far easier for an employee to give faithful and loyal service where the employer is reasonable and fair in his dealings with employees.

As always, an employer is a servant leader.  Regardless of his position and authority in the workplace, like the husband in the home, he is not to lord it over his employees but to lead by example.   Every worker deserves fair wages paid on time.  Every worker deserves to be treated with dignity and respect as a human being regardless of his station in life. This not about one person being better or better educated or qualified than another and therefore deserving of greater honour than another. This is about a team working together, each person making his/her contribution for the good of the team. When the team pulls together, everyone benefits.

It is not the job of the employee to be a man-pleaser, only working well when the employer’s eye is on him. He must remember that he is always in the presence of God. The Holy Spirit is in him, not to catch him out or judge him for poor performance but to enable him to be the best he can in the workplace.

Similarly, the employer also has a Master to whom he is accountable. When we remember and become aware of God in everything, our behaviour and attitudes will be tempered by the knowledge of His presence.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

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My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

Slaves, Yet Free

Bible Study, , , ,

SLAVES, YET FREE

Slaves, in reverent fear of God, submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (1 Peter 2: 18-20)

Why did Peter expect such a huge thing of Christian slaves? Surely they had the right, as human beings, to resist harsh treatment even if they were only slaves? In God’s sight they were human beings and had every right to be treated with dignity in the same way as any free person. Yet Peter was telling them to submit to their masters even if they were ill-treated. What good would that do? Would it not reinforce their masters’ attitude that it was okay to abuse them?

It all depends on from whose perspective you look at it. From the world’s point of view it is perfectly in order to resist abuse and harsh treatment. Whether one goes on strike, joins a protest march or resorts to some form of retaliation, this is the way to go. One has to express one’s dissatisfaction in a way that hurts the employer so that he knows that his behaviour is not appreciated. Accepting to status quo without some sort of protest is considered weakness.

But let’s look at it from God’s perspective. In the end, who was the slave serving? Since everything is about God, through God and for God, doing one’s job is about serving Him.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Col. 3:23-24)

Everything we do in life, the way we do it and the attitude we show towards those in authority over us in the end reveals our attitude towards God. It’s all about Him. After all, He treats us according to His own nature and never in response to our good or bad attitudes. Yes, He disciplines us when we step out of line, but not to get even with us. It’s to purify us so that we can share His holiness.

However, there is a flipside to this kind of situation. The right thing for any slave or employee is to submit to the master/employer, good or bad because it is the right thing to do. Masters are in charge and they choose the way that they will handle their staff but . . . , and here’s the crunch, they are also accountable to God for the way they treat their underlings.

Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism. (Col. 3:25)

Slaves and employees are called to act like their Master, who never reacted to people the way they treated Him. He always responded out of who He was, the Son of God, not who they were – enemies. He was accountable to the Father for the right responses to people.

What a difference we could make in the world if we, as followers of Jesus, really got a hold of this principle! When we retaliate, we contribute to the chaos in the world by adding our sin to the sins of those who mistreat us. When we absorb the evil in ourselves by responding with humble submission, we put the cruel master to shame and stop the evil right there.

Paul dealt with this issue in the context of lawsuits. Corinthian believers were taking each other to heathen courts instead of settling disputes among themselves.

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? (1 Cor, 6:7-9a)

One thing we must remember – the way an employer treats his employee is a revelation of what’s in his own heart; the way we respond is a revelation of ours! When you squeeze a lemon, lemon juice comes out! If we are truly the sons and daughters of God, we will behave like His children.

Now that is true freedom!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Pray For Us

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PRAY FOR US

Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should (Col. 4: 1-4).

Paul completed his prescription for household harmony with a word to masters – be the kind of master your Master is to you. Always remember to whom you are accountable and how He treats you.

The point of Paul’s instructions is – at whatever level you exercise power and authority over others, do it with the same attitude as Jesus has towards you. Treat everyone with dignity and respect, be it your husband, wife, child, servant or master. This rule of thumb is absolutely viral for interpersonal relationships at every level of society. What a difference it would make to our world if this basic rule were followed! It’s up to us as followers of Jesus to set the standard wherever we are.

Paul’s next instruction was equally vital in his world gone crazy just as it is in ours. Stay in touch with your heavenly Father because you are surrounded and bombarded non-stop with stresses and tests. Jesus stated categorically, on the eve of His departure, ‘Apart from me you can do nothing.’ Keeping in close contact with our Father will enable us to draw from His wisdom and strength as we navigate a world system that is anti-God and self-sufficient.

In the busyness and pressures of our everyday lives it is easy to forget that we have a Father to whom we are accountable for the daily choices and decisions we make and  their consequences, whether we like them or not. We live in a world system that is based on selfishness and greed. It’s everyone for himself in a dog-eat-dog society.

How can we guard against being a part of the way the world lives? Paul’s prescription: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Devote – bend all your energies towards . . . Prayer is not to be a hurried, five-minute, conscience-appeasing, ‘Good morning, God. Please look after me and my family today, and meet all our needs’  kind of greeting.

What is prayer? Prayer is the intercourse of a son with his Father, recognising, valuing and appreciating who the Father is, and opening the heart to His presence, His authority and His will. It is the awareness that wherever I am and whatever I do, He is always there, always good and always in charge – and I am accountable to Him for every word and action.

Prayer is also the expression of dependence on the Father as my life source. Everything I am and have comes from Him and is for Him. I cannot even draw a breath without Him. Prayer is allowing Him to live His life though me, fuelling and fulfilling my desires as His desires become mine.

What was Paul’s desire? To proclaim the mystery of Christ clearly wherever he was able to go. What was God’s desire for him? To do exactly as he desired. Prayer’s highest purpose is to become one with the Father so that His will becomes ours and His will is done on earth through us as it is done in heaven.

It did not matter to Paul whether he was free to move about anywhere in the Roman Empire or incarcerated in jail. As long as there were people around him with whom to share the message of Christ, his desire was to speak it freely and with clarity so that his hearers would understand and believe. God knew his desire but it was necessary for Paul to express it to Him. In that way his heart was bonded to the heart of the Father.

God knows your desires but, to share your heart with Him strengthens your union with Him. Out of that union comes the power to fulfil your desires and bring glory to Him as His kingdom overrides the ungodly kingdoms of this world wherever His people are.

The atmosphere of prayer is always: awareness that I am vulnerable because I still have my old nature lurking inside and awaiting every opportunity to trip me up; and thankful because I have a Saviour who rescues me from my destructive self-will, the Holy Spirit who energised me to walk in God’s ways; and a heavenly Father who passionately loves me as His child and provides everything I need to live a godly life.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.