We all have the same Master

 Read Colossians 4

Let’s begin at the beginning, verse 1.

Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

But we don’t deal with slavery in this country.  Yes, there may be people pushing an agenda of reparations for slavery from 150 to 400 years ago.  That’s a deal now.  I don’t know that it has any traction or that it is a viable remedy for anything.

Maybe we can all get reparations for every wrong done to us.  We could be really rich.  Of course, we would all be totally broke paying for every wrong that we ever did.

Maybe we should consider that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Perhaps, we should all consider that whether we are in charge or someone rules over us, we all have one relationship in common.  Christ is Lord of all.  Christ is Master of all.

Instead of dwelling on what the world says that we are owed or that we owe someone else, we should consider that Christ is over all.  He is Lord of all.  He is our Master.

For those of us who profess Jesus as Lord, that makes us brothers and sisters.  We profess:  Jesus is Lord.  He is our Master.  We have taken his yoke.  We are learning from him.

So as far as my relationship goes with other believers, I recognize that the first and most important relationship between you and me is that Jesus is our Lord and he is our Master and we are to learn from him.

At work, you might be my supervisor.  I might have given you a loan and you are indebted to me.  You might be my landlord or I might owe you rent.  You have to fix what breaks. 

You might come into my office because you are hungry or just got fired or need help with something.  The playing field will always seem uneven in one way or another, but we have the same relationship with the Lord.

He is Master.  He is Lord of all. We belong to him.

It doesn’t matter what rank you wear, if your name is on the door, or if your signature is required to approve something big; Jesus is our Master.

That’s reason to boast that he is our Lord. I don’t need I gold-plated resume.  I rejoice and boast and celebrate in the Lord.

It’s reason to be humble as he is our Lord. As Paul noted in his letter to Philippi, my religious resume counts as manure in my relationship with God.  He is Master.  I am a servant.  I’m just hoping to hear a well done from my Master, and yes, I will preach the Parable of the Talents again soon.

If we need to brag, let’s brag about what the Lord has done for us.

If we want to compare resumes, let’s remind ourselves that we might impress people with our degrees and titles and accolades, but we don’t get any closer to God.

Let’s look upon each other as fellow servants, brothers and sisters, God’s children.  Let’s stop comparing ourselves to each other and just work on being more like Christ.

Amen.