Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Oh my Scrip-Bit friends and families, what a joy it is to greet you on this Victoria Day Holiday Monday! Hope that your celebrations are going well on this sunny but not awfully warm day. Thankfully though the wind is not as strong as it’s been for the last two days. However, we do pray that there’s a modicum of circumspection taking place in the celebrations because tomorrow we have to go out and earn a living, and we can’t be sick or slovenly in doing Jesus’s work. No sir! Jesus expects excellence and diligence at all times from His earthly representatives.
Now, some of us might say that we’re working for men, but the Lord has an entirely different take on the situation, as Bruh Paul reminds us in his letter to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25)
Yes my fellow believers, we ought to consider ourselves servants of Christ in everything we do, for in the long run, it’s from the Lord that we will receive our rewards, be they for good or for bad, because the Lord does not show favouritism. And there’s’ an interesting corresponding verse from Cousin Sol writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. He says: ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave (Sheol), whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10)
And that’s the living truth! There’s no working or otherwise in the grave. So whatever you do when alive, make sure you give it your best effort, especially when that’s what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects of His disciples. As Bruh Paul mentions in Romans, when he speaks about overcoming good with evil: ‘Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent in spirit (lit., boiling over), serving the Lord.’ (Rom. 12:11) That means we ought to be bubbling over with excitement in God’s service.
So, although we cannot always be excited and enthusiastic, we Christians of today can certainly be much more enthusiastic and excited about Christ than many of us are. That’s why the world is so distraught, despondent, and uncertain about the times we live in; believers are not spreading enough of the joy of the Lord, letting the unbelievers know of His imminent return and the dire need for them to accept Him as Lord and Saviour if they want to receive salvation and eternal life.
And I guess this passage on Servants and Masters in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians covers the whole spectrum of the subject. ‘Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness (sincerity) of heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond (slave) or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing (giving up) threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.’ (Eph. 6:5-9)
Now what does all of that mean? The scholars offer these explanations. The masters according to the flesh, means their human masters. And slaves, or servants ought to carry out their duties with fear and trembling is that they ought to do a good job with reverential respect for their masters. Meanwhile singleness of heart refers to a mental disposition, an attitude that renders obedience out of sincerity, not hypocrisy. As unto Christ explains why servants should obey masters in the manner prescribed here: obedience rendered to their masters is obedience rendered to Christ.
And singleness of heart, or sincere disposition excludes eyeservice, that is duty performed only when the master is watching; but it includes doing the will of God from the heart, that is, enthusiastic service coming from within and not having to be coerced by external pressure. Good will means “good intention.” The Christian servant (employee) seeks the best interest of his master (employer).
And the basis for the servant’s “good intention” toward his master is his being recompensed by the Lord – both in this life and in the one to come – the same good he has performed in his servant duties. Finally, earthly masters are to behave in a reciprocal manner toward their slaves (servants) (i.e., with respect, sincerity, and careful concern). For earthly masters have a heavenly Master who will judge them without partiality.’
Wow! Can you imagine if we had a world like that where the majority of employees and employers treated each other with respect and concern for each other! It would be a great place! Sadly though, the opposite is true. Employers and employees are always at loggerheads, trying to get the best of each other. No wonder the workplace is filled with so much strife, greed, fraud and disgruntled employers and employees. And the only way that is ever going to change, or improve, is if we believers up the ante, through our better work ethic and Christ-like joy spreading. (smile)
And we can certainly do it with the Lord’s help…if we try. The problem though is getting us to try. Anyway, right now, we need to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid, to help us turn things around. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Ah friends, it’s a tough row we have to hoe, but for Jesus’ sake, in gratitude for all that He’s done for us, I implore us to put our hearts, minds, bodies and souls into achieving a better world! Much LOVE!
…unless we sincerely give Jesus first place in our lives…and live for Him only…our world will never improve…
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