Ephesians 6:7-9

"With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."
Ephesians 6:7-9


You know, these verses seem like a reminder for all the basics of being good. :)  The first verse reminds me that I shouldn't worry at ALL about who I am helping, and what they are going to do with whatever I give them.  If it were the Lord, or even my brother... I would help them without wondering whether I should or not.  It's like doing service not only in order to follow the Lord... but for the Lord.  And, you know... I think of the impossible debt that Christ paid for all of us, and if I can do something for him by helping the people around me, it seems like an amazing opportunity. :)  Then, the second verse... reminds me that no matter who we are, in whatever circumstances we are, we all have a chance to choose to do some good.  and, if we can do good in our own way, however small that may seem, then we will receive good of the Lord as well.  Not necessarily in cash and prizes, but I can think of a lot of "intangibles" that we can only receive through the Lord.  The last verse... I like "forbearing threatening."  What incredible advice. :)  Positive reinforcement is a better idea... in real life and in the workplace. :)  I like also, though I don't know if I can free my mind enough to actually picture it... that there is no respect of persons with God.  I don't know if I have ever felt that really.  I think that I try to fight my own biases, but they are still there, you know?  can you imagine what it would feel like to go through a day where you loved everyone... where there were no cliques where some people fell in, and some people fell out... where you could listen to everyone fairly and reasonably without getting defensive with *anyone* ... where no matter the past you still gave everyone a fair shake?  That seems incredibly difficult to me.  Good thing that God is in there, helping us learn. :)