Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

Ephesians 6

Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Ephesians 6:7-8

This morning, I pause my study of 1 Corinthians to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at working for "bad" bosses.  John Piper provides five things to help believers in these environments:

1. "A call to radically Lord-centered living...This means that we will think of the Lord in what we are doing at work. We will ask, Why would the Lord like this done? How would the Lord like this done? When would the Lord like this done? Will the Lord help me to do this? What effect will this have for the Lord’s honor? In other words, being a Christian means radically Lord-centered living and working."
2. "A call to be a good person...Piper refers us to Matthew 5:16 where Jesus says that we are to let others see Jesus in us and that brings glory to God."
   
3. "Power to do a good job for inconsiderate earthly employers....Piper shares that we are to stop thinking about your boss as your main supervisor, and start working for the Lord. Do this in the very duties given to you by your earthly supervisor."
4. "Encouragement that nothing good is done in vain"....Piper elaborates: "Every little thing you do that is good is seen and valued and rewarded by the Lord.  And he will pay you back for it. Not in the sense that you have earned anything — as if you could put him in your debt. He owns you, and everything in the universe. He owes us nothing. But he freely, graciously chooses to reward us for all the good things done in faith."
5. "Encouragement that insignificant status on earth is no hindrance to great reward in heaven"...concluding on this point, Piper shares that "your supervisor may think you are a nobody — a mere bondservant, so to speak. Or he may not even know you exist. That doesn’t matter. The Lord knows you exist. And in the end no faithful service will be in vain." 

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My Prayer: Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and love...helping me in all challenges in life by giving me power, peace, joy, patience, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love me.  My sins are great and they are daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sins 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.

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.

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

Hebrews 13

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. v17

I know God has place leaders in my life, church leads, work leaders, etc. that are for my benefit.  Scripture elsewhere commands me to obey leadership:

• Romans 13
• 1 Timothy 6

"[I]t is of no benefit to to [me]" if I disobey leadership and there work is a burden.  

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You have placed leadership in my life for my good and You do SO much for me - I know You love me in ways that I cannot describe or imagine. Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love Jesus.  I am broken and sinful.  I need You desperately in my life.  I am selfish, stubborn, harsh, impatient, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin.  Help me turn towards You instead.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me submit to ALL of my leaders...help me support them.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength, comfort and freedom from pain. Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.