Instructions for Christian Households
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers,[c] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
I was going to just talk about 22-25 at first, but after looking at the whole passage I thought it was important to include verses 18-21. I wanted to focus on verses 22-25 because I have decided to make it my verses for my job. God has placed great management above me at work, and God has surrounded me with amazing coworkers who I want to learn from everyday. And most importantly, God has embodied a wonderful customer community at Chick-fil-A (where I work). When I work, I want to work with everything I have; because I am doing it for the Lord. I am called to work as if I am serving the Lord directly. With this verse in mind, I will watch, obey, and learn at work; but I am truly doing it for the Lord. Maybe this can encourage you too, whether it be in work, school, or anything else.
It is important to not leave out verses 18-21 because they are some of the core foundations of a Christian household. The sequence of the verses is almost a family cycle.
Wives: submit to husbands ---> Husbands: love your wives/don't be harsh ---> children: obey your parents ---> Fathers: don't embitter your children
The love of a Christ centered family can partially be defined by these things.
Dear Lord, I thank You for these verses and for Paul. We thank You that You give us guidelines on how to live our lives for You. Lord, I pray that at work I may work and strive as though I am doing it all for You directly. I pray that I could be a light to all around me for you. And anyone who reads this and yearns to do the same, I pray this for them as well. Lord, we love You and thank You so much for everything. Please bless our current and future homes to thrive on YOU being the center and living by these guidelines as well. We love you and praise You forever. Amen
<3 Chrissy
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