“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.” Colossians 3:22.
We are very fortunate in America today that slavery does not exist. While that is a statement which does not need to be qualified I will add that the reason is that it is illegal and will result in prison for those who practice it.
U.S. Constitution 13th Amendment states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment [prison] for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
With the exception of the plague of sex slavery rings, which includes children, many of which have been broken up due to the aggressive leadership of our President, America does not have slavery.
Many more women and children could be rescued and sex slavery eradicated if Congress were to participate in the effort to destroy it.
Muslim countries however account for vastly more than 1,400,000 chattel slaves. Slavery is either legal or ignored in the Muslim world.
There are four African nations which have more than 869,000 chattel slaves; this does not count slaves in the rest of Africa. No human rights group seems to talk about this tragedy.
Due to the illegality and absence of slavery in this country we would do better to take the word servants in this passage, which actually means slaves, whether slaves or bond slaves, and render it employees.
This is not meant to be a cynical remark because with the exception of physical and sexual abuse, slaves, employees, and workers all do the tasks put before them by their master/employer.
Employees exist not only as maids, butlers, cooks, and scullery maids, but as fast food workers, factory workers, electricians, engineers, managers, computer analysts, and designers, to name a few of all the modes of employment.
Hard as it is to believe, even corporate executives are the servants of the stockholders in the corporation, making everyone a servant of one sort or another.
In times past the fathers would teach their sons a trade, this knowledge plus college or a minimum education, which in those days consisted of teaching the students math, reading, writing, history, and shop classes (which, by the way some girls entered).
As they reached adulthood, most children knew how to work and were able go into their father’s occupation or find work in a field which interested them. In non-depressed times jobs were plentiful and welfare unheard of.
Today many homes are without a father due to the explosive divorce rate, the child (boy or girl) learns little from their father whether it be a trade, simple use of tools, confidence in whatever it is they are doing, or even how to work.
Combine this with the low standards of television, especially cable where underage children can watch the vilest R rated films that they could not enter a theater to view.
Absent fathers violent video games, and a school system that teaches them very little of math, or any of the other things that made our school system one of the best in the world.
The goal of the schools today is to turn out students who have no ability to think analytically, only to distrust anyone who says something is wrong, immoral or ungodly.
To be good politically correct socialists, while all our history is redacted to portray America as a cruel greedy nation built on the backs of the poor while denying its Christian roots.
The vast sums of money that are being poured into the schools through the lottery, which was supposed to help the educational system, bonds, and taxation, is wasted on non-essential programs, and administration which is further crippled by union greed and meddling.
Many teachers are either incompetent, or because they are union do not do their jobs. The tragedy is that a great number of high school students, cannot read properly or at all (over 80% in NYC per one citation) and are just being passed along due to the supposed overloading of the school system.
The schools could be said to be overloaded because most of the money goes to administrators and not to the hiring of more teachers and teachers aids, and the maintenance and building of classrooms.
This demonic recipe for disaster has ruined many children who cannot think in a logical manner; they do not know many of the basic things that the average high school graduate knew twenty or thirty years ago.
They do not know how to look for work, they do not know how to work, they do not know that salaries and advancements will not just be given to them; in fact they think these things are owed to them.
As a result young adults today are unsatisfied with their paychecks; think they are overworked, and worst of all they blame the rich owners of the businesses that they work for, for oppressing them.
This is why Occupy Wall Street had many sympathizers among this clueless generation. The Occupiers claimed that they represented the 99% who were being oppressed by the 1%; but how does this break down?
According to one source, the top 1% made $1,530,773 per year; the poor 20% earned $9,187 per year, and the median income was $65,357 per year; all this as of the year 2011.
If this is correct then 79% of U.S. households were hardly poverty stricken and not in need of help from the Occupiers. This country certainly does not need wealth redistribution.
There is no question that many of the rich will oppress the workers if it will make them richer, history has shown this.
“He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he who gives to the rich [bribes], will surely come to poverty.” Proverbs 22:16.
James warns us about showing partiality to the rich and ignoring the poor man in church; a warning which has been ignored over the centuries with disastrous results.
“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” James 2:5-9.
“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” Proverbs 22:7, New American Standard Bible.
All men are equal in God’s sight; they should all be equal in our sight. The rich are neither greater for their riches nor are the poor the less because of their poverty. As for the rich, trust, but verify.
“You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. But in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.” Leviticus 19:15.
Yes the rich will oppress the poor for gain, but it is not the job of government to redistribute wealth.
There are just four functions of government and that is all that is necessary in a moral system.
One, government is to maintain order, two, government is to defend its borders from invasion, three, administer justice, and four provide a place for honest work.
The rich should be in fear of the last two, an impartial justice system, and the governments care for its citizens by making sure they can do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wages, without fear of being truly enslaved or of being cheated.
One of the basic rules for the spread of communism is to create discontent among the population of a nation. For years it has seemed impossible to do in America because of the high standard of living in this country.
Add to this good employment numbers, quality medical care, and the numerous other benefits we have in a free country; just the word freedom should be enough to keep everyone happy.
However communist stooges like those in the Occupy Wall Street movement and the many we have in government have proven such a hope to be wrong; this country is being destroyed, not made fairer through socialism.
Socialism which will morph into godless communism does not make everyone equal by spreading wealth around; it turns a free people into the chattel slaves of a totalitarian government.
But the Christian should never be unaware of Satan’s devices.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9.
Nor should the Christian give up as though helpless.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
Christians are not victims of this age, they can either let it swallow them up, or they can pray fervently to God to bring this country back onto the moral Christian path and support those who oppose its destruction.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a.
Nor are we, as servants, victims of our greedy masters, because our Father has His eye on us at all times and when we take our troubles to Him in prayer, He will listen, even when the master will not.
Above all do not grumble to others about your dislike for management or some supervisor, which is not obedience to authority as God tells us to. Again as stated earlier, take everything to God in prayer and leave it at His feet.
“Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.” Ecclesiastes 10:20.
Contempt for authority will be found out. There is no lack of snitches who love to ingratiate themselves with those in management.
“Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:16-18.
Colossians 3:22a taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 3-19-14, updated on 5-30-20.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.