Takeaway Verse: Ephesians 6:8
Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
Show Links:
- Who Is Jesus?
- Have a prayer request? E-mail us at [email protected]
Transcription:
Welcome to The Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica Parkerson. This is the place where we meet up to read half a chapter of God’s Word together and remember how loved we are. Jesus extends an amazing invitation to us in the Bible. He says, come to me and I WILL give you rest. This is us RSVPing: Yes!! to that invitation. So, take a deep breath and let’s get started.
Today’s episode is called, “If God Had a Help Wanted Sign” and we’ll get to that in just a moment, but boy, oh boy, today’s episode and tomorrow’s episode, power packed. Have you ever tried to pack a whole bunch of stuff into a suitcase and you’re just sitting on the suitcase to keep it all in? That’s how I feel about today’s episode and tomorrow’s episode. There is so much here, so much goodness, so many promises packed into Ephesians chapter six, part one and two. This is Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, written from jail, where he was imprisoned for his faith, to encourage the Ephesians and to encourage you and me right now.
So, let’s invite God to join us before we dive into Ephesians chapter six. Oh father. Oh, we thank you for the promises. We come to you right now in the name of Jesus, recognizing that your promises are safe and sturdy, and we can stand on them. We can take them to the bank. We thank you and we praise you for all the words in your Bible, they are precious to us and you are precious to us. Please open our eyes and our hearts to what you want us to see and understand in your word today, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Okay. Without further ado, we’re gonna dive right into Ephesians chapter six. Paul writes, “Children obey your parents because you belong to the Lord. For this is the right thing to do: honor, your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise. If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth. Fathers do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they’re watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.” Do the will of God with all your heart, Lord, I wanna do that today. “Work with enthusiasm as though you are working for the Lord, rather than for people.”
Here comes our takeaway, verse eight. “Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them. Remember you both have the same master in heaven, and he has no favorites.” Oh, my goodness. Okay. If God had a help wanted sign, it would say, “Looking for people who wanna do the will of God with all their hearts.” And it would say, “Looking for people who will work with enthusiasm as they were working for the Lord, rather than people.”
Right. Man, I know that work can be hard sometimes. I’ve had jobs where I’ve been like, I don’t want to go today. Lord, help me, help me through this. Help me to remember that I’m working for you and not this person. It can be really, really hard. I mean, we spend so many hours at work and if it’s not a good environment, it can drain you. So this perspective can be really, really helpful because we find out there is a reward at the end of it.
I wanna tell you a little story. When my daughter was about six years old, it was the time when she was losing teeth, you know, first grade, second grade, something like that. We were in a bagel shop, and we were standing in line and the man in front of us dropped a hundred-dollar bill and only Hannah saw this. So, she bent down and picked it up and she explained what happened to me, you know, probably whispered. And I tapped the gentleman in front of us and said, “We think you dropped this.” And he immediately turned around and with gratitude handed my little Hannah, a $20 bill. Now to a first grader, who’s losing teeth, that is a big deal. I mean, $20. He rewarded her, immediately.
What we find here is a, like a help wanted sign from God. God is telling us he wants people who will do his will with all their heart. He wants people who will work with enthusiasm for the kingdom. That’s his help wanted sign. And he’s promising us that he will reward us for the good we do. It might not be immediately like what happened at the bagel shop, but God will reward you. It’s a promise right here in God’s word. Okay. Buckle up for tomorrow’s episode. We’re gonna close out Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The second half of chapter six. It is so powerful, definitely buckle up. Can’t wait to join you tomorrow.
Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.
