June 30, 2026 | Be Connected
LAST WEEK BEFORE SUMMER HIATUS:
BE CONNECTED RESUMES AUGUST 3
A Word to Masters and Servants
Scripture: Ephesians 6:5-9(NIV)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Devotional
Way back in my law school days doing research in the law library (yes, we had actual books then), I used a research tool that broke down the law by topic. I was intrigued by the topic entitled “Master and Servant.” I thought that seemed a little odd, an outdated reference. Indeed, today that section has been reclassified as “Employment Law.”
The language and terms Paul used in Ephesians sound a lot like the archaic “Master and Servant” topic, speaking of slaves and masters; but while it suits the usage and context of the times, its message regarding “Employment Law” is timeless for Christians in the workplace. Exhortations such as “serve wholeheartedly” and to obey with “sincerity of heart” are messages of duty, loyalty and selflessness.
The message to Christians transcends time between then and now, so do the challenges to live out a Christian life while at work. The challenges may have changed; we don’t have to worry about being legally treated as property. Employment law has expanded the rights of workers through many statutes and agencies we know by their acronyms: NLRA, FLSA, OHSA, ADA, and EEOC just to name some of them.
While they provide protections to workers that Paul never dreamed of, the modern employee still faces stiff challenges: a corporate structure run by bean counters who care more about their stock returns than a healthy work environment, companies shedding workers who drop their productivity as they age or suffer from ill health. It’s hard to be a Christian and be loyal to the boss when the boss is a faceless organization that shows little loyalty in return. We are always in danger of becoming the disillusioned work force exemplified by the workers’ saying in the old Soviet Union: “As long as they pretend they are paying us, we’ll pretend we are working.”
In an ideal world, employers heed Paul’s admonishment in verse 9, but we don’t live in an ideal world. However, Paul reminds us that the failure of others to live a Christian life does not relieve us of our obligation to live as Christ calls us to.
