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. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭19‬
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.‬‬

This is such an important section of the Bible. We live in a tit-for-tat world and it is easy to get caught up in comparison games with others. Reality is, We were each purchased … redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus. And so no matter the requirements from our earthly masters (whether in slavery back then, an employee in a company, or working as a homemaker), we should not respond as if all that matters is our fulfillment or status or power or position here on earth! Instead we need to keep God as the Master of All in mind.

My level of effort should not change regardless of the person directly over me and how they treat me. Rather, I should work in honor and pay tribute to the precious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who saved me. There is an aspect of “reverent fear” here. That is, extreme respect and importance placed on the position God has placed me in — in this life.

How do I retain this perspective? I must daily recharge my mind with the truth and refresh my heart with the Love of God. He is watching. He knows we serve in a fallen and, at times, unfair world. He is training us for eternity in his service. This is a mere short-term boot camp of sorts.

I am seeking an eternal inheritance and it will be great, massive, and totally unfathomable! “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” ‭‭(II Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭18‬)

Today, I will take ground and serve wholeheartedly in honor of my Savior and Lord. My effort will be full-tilt and my hope is in heaven.

Lord, teach me to, more consistently, moment by moment, work for you. May I see heaven in the foreground, and work towards those heavenly rewards you have promised your faithful children. Thank you for rescuing me from a life totally corrupted by sin! You redeemed me and set me apart with your Spirit as my help and my guide. You are so great, it is an honor to serve you!