As Paul the
apostle continued to give instructions to the “servants”
who belonged to the church in Ephesus, he told them to “serve”
their “masters” without “eye-service, as
men-pleasers”. They were to be as “servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart”. In chapter six and verse
eight of his letter, Paul gave one final directive to “servants”
as he shared with them about “receiving of the Lord for good”
where we read:
Knowing
that whatsoever good thing any man does,
the same
shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be
bond or free.
The
verse begins, “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man
does,...” Paul began with the word, “Knowing” which
means “perceiving, noticing, discerning and discovering” “that
whatsoever good thing” which refers to “any and whatever is
of good constitution, nature, pleasantry, joyous, excellent,
distinguished, upright and honorable” “any man does” or
“any human being whether male or female makes, produces,
constructs, forms or fashions”. Paul directed the attention of the
“servants” to a higher principle as they did things as unto
the Lord Jesus.
The
verse goes on to say, “...the same shall he
receive of the Lord, whether he be
bond or free.” Paul added, “the
same” or “that or this intentional or
identical thing” “shall he receive”
which means “carry, bear, bring, carry for one's self, obtain and
get back” “of the Lord”
who is “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”,
“whether” or “if or if too and
additionally” “he be bond”
which means “as a slave, man of servile condition or one who gives
himself up to another's will” “or free”
which means “freeborn, not a slave, exempt, unrestrained and not
bound by an obligation”. The law of reciprocity is promised by the
Lord for those who do “good things”
whether they are “servants”
or not.
When
we meditate upon these words of Paul, we are reminded that as
“servants” or “employees” who implement their “service”
as unto “the Lord” rather than simply to their “masters”
or “bosses” are promised to “receive” from “the Lord
Jesus” in the same manner in which they “serve”. God
will be a debtor to no man, and when He sees us performing our duties
as He has required, He will bless us in “like kind”. Let us
remember we represent Jesus Christ in our work, and as He observes us
doing “good things”, He will reward us accordingly. May
the Lord Jesus through His Holy Spirit help us to obey these words of
Paul, and may others know that we “serve” Him as we do.
Next
time Paul gives instructions to “masters”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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