Colossians 3:22-4:1

Colossians 3:22-4:1

Slaves, be obedient according to all the things in accordance with the fleshly lords – not in an eye-catching manner as those who please others, but rather in a purity of motive of the heart while fearing the Lord.  Whatever you all should do, work out of the soul as to the Lord and not as to men having known that from the Lord you all will receive the reward of the inheritance.  Serve to the Lord Christ!  For the one who does wrong will receive back that which he did wrong.  And there is not partiality.  Lords, grant justice and equality to slaves having known that you all have a Lord in heaven.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul talks to us about humbleness.  We aren’t supposed to be catching the eyes of the people around us.  We aren’t supposed to be seeking attention for ourselves.  Rather, we are supposed to act because the Lord desires of it.  We are supposed to be acting so as to catch His eye!  That’s the remarkable thing about this passage.  How hard is it to keep His eye as our desire?  How hard it is to desire to catch the eye of a God that we cannot touch and see when we have a world around us telling us that we are only successful if we happen to catch its eye!

Whose eye do you attempt to catch?  Why?  How do you do this?

Second Thought:

Paul reminds us that we are to do as if we are doing it for Christ.  This is a deep message.  If the man who is offering you the only meaningful ticket to eternal life asks you to do something, would you do it halfway?  Of course not!  But then Paul talks about reward.  The point that he is making is that everything we do in this world we do as if we are doing it for the Lord will find reward from the Lord in the life to come.  In other words, when I go and do my best on that math test – if I am doing my best for the Lord’s sake because He desires it of me and because I desire to give Him the glory for it then why wouldn’t He reward me in the life to come?  If I am going grocery shopping and I do it because God asks me to do my best and I’m going to give Him the glory when it is done, why wouldn’t He reward me in the life to come?  We’re not just talking about matters of evangelism and discipleship here.  We are talking about every task of life – even the mundane tasks or the tasks that seem unrelated to our faith.  There is always a time and a place to do our best for God so that we can give Him praise after it is over.

How often do you do your best – even in the mundane – because of God?  How often is the motivation for your actions in order to accomplish what you are doing because God would ask you to do your best?

Third Thought:

Paul turns the tables on the masters of the house in the final verse.  It is possible to translate these words in two ways.  In today’s context, it could be said that Paul was arguing for the abolishment of slavery.  While I think that in today’s context that message has validity, I think that it is asking too much of Paul and Paul’s day.  Slavery in those days was not what it evolved into over time.  What Paul is arguing for in this passage is that masters of the house elevate the slaves in the house to places of equality.  He isn’t saying that they should be booted out of the community network in which they are a part.  He is simply saying that they should be considered an actual part of the household – not a slave to the household.  For me, that is a very potent message.

What is Paul actually arguing for with respect to the family?  Why does this logic make sense in the light of how God has allowed us who are undeserving to become a part of His family?

Passage for Tomorrow: Colossians 4:2-4