Ephesians 6:4-9
June 25, 2006
6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
6:5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ, 6:6 not like those who do their work only when someone is watching–as people-pleasers–but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.
6:7 Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people 6:8 because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.
6:9 Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Paul says some wise things about how fathers should show their love for their children; at least it seems wise to me, now that our children have their own children. How I wish that I were a better “slave of Christ doing the will of God” a half-century ago, but my faith was very immature at that time.
Some say that the relationship of masters to slaves in Paul’s time is paralleled by employers to employees today. I’m not too sure about that, but in any case, whatever our station in life, our first allegiance must be to our Master in heaven. -sdg-
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