God is not Mocked

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear,

and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 

Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you,

but likes slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,

because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

Ephesians 6:5-8

Most pastors now translate verses about slaves and masters in the context of the modern workplace.  Instead of slaves & masters, think workers & bosses.  One day it occurred to me that the boss is just one element of a work environment.  Some folks work without traditional benefits like sick pay, vacation pay, or even medical benefits.  Some people don’t get enough hours at work.  Some people are vastly underpaid for the work they do.  People have had delays in getting their paychecks or had payroll mistakes made with their paychecks.  There’s a growing trend of workers being paid via debit card, and having to pay fees for their paycheck (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/business/as-pay-cards-replace-paychecks-bank-fees-hurt-workers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0).  There is also a whole class of people who work as interns, apprentices, and volunteers.  They are working for free in the hopes that one day they can be paid for their labor. 

Don’t be discouraged.  El-Roi is the God Who Sees (Gen. 16:13).  He also cannot be mocked (Gal. 6:7), and He believes that the worker deserves his wages (1 Timothy 5:18).  He can balance the scales of justice supernaturally.  He can also balance those scales through the authorities that He’s set in place.  For Americans, that authority is the United States Department of Labor, http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htm

“And masters, treat you slaves in the same way. 

Do not threaten them, since your know that

He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,

and there is no favoritism with Him”

Ephesians 6:9