Colossians 3:22-25

"Servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not only when their eyes are on you as pleasers of men, but in simplicity of purpose [with all your heart] because of your reverence for the Lord and as a sincere expression of your devotion to Him" Colossians 3:22.

Be obedient, we know from a few verses back in the relationship - wife to husband, is from "hupakouo from hupó = under + akoúo = hear). The idea of hupakouo is that the one hearing is under the authority of another and thus conveys the meanings of calling for compliance (disposition to yield to another) with the demands or requests of another. Submitting to that which is heard involves a change of attitude, forsaking the tendency of the fallen nature to rebel against parental or Divine instructions and commands and seeking God's will, not self will. Paul uses more space for this section on servants and masters in these teachings than for the other relationships. The presence of Onesimus (chapt 4, vs 9) may have influenced him, but we know, still, that Paul was inspired by and through the Holy Spirit, and so we must seek to trust God for it's application to all of us. The relations of the slave to his master are identical with that of the child to the parents according to the terminology found in Gal 4:1.

First... If we have trusted God about His plan and purpose for us... have followed His leading up to now, then we must trust that He has purposed or allowed the circumstances that we find ourselves in today. Whether, master or slave, co-worker or manager, owner or employee, we are obedient FIRST to God and His Word including this Word right here. Then, to the people we work with and/or work for, we still seek Gods' pleasure over our actions, service, and labor... while trusting that God will use, lead, and ultimately deal with those we work with as He wills.

23. "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men."

In order to achieve the kind of work ethic suggested in verse 23, there must certainly be an almost constant awareness of God's omnipresence... or you will find yourself hours, days, or longer... way down the road with your boss, coworkers, etc... trapped in a relationship that is displeasing to God. First, because you have taken God's presence for granted, neglected your most important "guide" and source of strength. Secondly, you have (more than likely) fallen into a inflated, false, or inadequate sense of success or failure. The other problem of trying to please man instead of God is the risk of falling into an improper relationship with man... such as lording over others or letting others lord over you... to mention just a couple.

Consider this... If God has you in a position leading several people, or even just one... your relationship over those people without the awareness that you are under God's ever-present eye, will inevitably lead you into sin. We only need to look at history to see how relations such as Marxism, Communism, and the likes, grow out of the heart of man - apart from God.

24. "Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah)."

Our reward for anything will be for what we have done according to what God wanted us to do, not any idea and motive we came up with. Therefore it will be Him who's' reward will matter. Our reward lies in and throughout eternity and not in the here-and-now.

25. "For he who deals wrongfully will [reap the fruit of his folly and] be punished for his wrongdoing. And [with God] there is no partiality [no matter what a person's position may be, whether he is the slave or the master]."

This is a promise from our Father, dear friends... The greedy practices of company heads or thieving costs of dishonest employees never go unseen by our All-seeing God. We can take heart in this truth or be forewarned... tither way, it will be just as God's Word says. Amen? We will pick up with chapter 4, next time.

I love you.