For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 6

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10

I continue my study of Ephesians via my participation in a Discipleship (D) Group that is part of my church. For this morning, I look again at Ephesians 6:1-9, but moving on from fatherhood (v4) - which I covered yesterday - to bondservants and masters, which is covered in v5-9. First, we should review this perspective on Biblical history and context on slaves, which states that believers of today should focus less on the word slaves but instead "refocus their mind on the labor of the individual. In the Bible, the intended focus of the word slave is a reference to the living situation of an individual—in no way was it meant to demean a person’s God-given value." With this lens in place, we should now view Ephesians 6:5-9 as talking to the employee-employer relationship. Leaning on this post from John Piper at DesiringGod.com, which looks at earthly authorities across the board and not just the authority in the workplace, we glean that "in the socioeconomic sphere, [we are to] submit to human authorities in a way that turns [our] service of them into the service of Christ[.]"  Serve God always - He is our Master in all ways!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me a job and provides for all of my needs - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.