Honoring Relationships
Opening Prayer
Thank You, Lord, that I am in the palm of Your hand, kept by Your forever love. No matter what happens today, tomorrow, next month or next year, I am secure in You.
Read EPHESIANS 6:1–9
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
We need to see the difference that our being valued in Jesus makes to our valuing of others.
Think Further
A less usual definition of Christians runs like this: “Christians are people with whom it is easy to be good.” Because they belong together in God’s new society, which is marked by a commitment to live together in love, it should affect every
relationship for the better. Within Christian homes the fifth commandment becomes an opportunity for children and parents to relate to one another in transformed ways (Exod. 20:12). As children obey parents—the word obey means literally “to listen under”—they do so because they belong together within God’s family. Within the Christian family, parents deserve to be “listened under.” However, fathers in particular (has this always applied more to fathers than to mothers?) bear responsibility not to provoke resentment. This was revolutionary in Paul’s contemporary society, where the father’s word was law, but in God’s new family mutual honoring is the order of Christian family life.
Paul’s next instructions about slaves and masters may seem irrelevant, or even an embarrassing endorsement of the status quo. In contemporary society, it can apply to employees and employers; and a careful look sees it as a radical application of God’s new society for Christian masters and slaves. Christian slaves, formerly regarded as chattels, now have the responsibility to be people “with whom it is easy to be good.” They are to serve as though serving Christ himself, with their best effort and integrity. Christian masters similarly have the highest Master and must treat slaves accordingly.
No longer separated by a wall, slaves and masters belong in new relationships of mutual honoring because of Christ (Eph. 2:14). This, with other key Scriptures (Gal. 3:28), helps light the powder keg under the whole system of slavery, which Christian leaders like William Wilberforce would eventually overthrow.
Apply
Consider carefully whether you are a person “with whom it is easy to be good” in both family and work relationships.
Closing prayer
Mighty God, it is not easy to put these directives in place. I want to be a person “with whom it is easy to be good,” but I need an infusion of Your grace and strength to see it happen.
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