1 Timothy 6:1-2
6All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that
God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2 Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service
are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
This is an eye-opening passage that tells us to what extent being a "brother"
in Christ means. We are living in a day of excessive racial tension. Many people and governing authorities are talking or pushing the payment of reparations. There is a lot of anger to the past. As a Christians, we are to be a forgiving
people. Paul writes that slaves should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. This is a tough concept because feelings can run deep. If you were a slave and your master was
a Christian, our brotherhood runs deeper than hatred, but one of respect and love. This is not an easy concept. You can get a good picture of the in Philemon with the slave Onesimus. As Christians, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.
I pray: O Lord, help me to be a loving Christians even in times of racial tension. Amen.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), 1 Ti 6.