Colossians 3:22-4:1

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. [23] Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, [24] since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. [25] Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
[4:1] Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. _^[NIV]

A QUICK THEOLOGY OF WORK

Genesis 1:28

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." _^[NIV]

Genesis 3:17-19

    To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
    "Cursed is the ground because of you;
        through painful toil you will eat of it
        all the days of your life.
    [18] It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
        and you will eat the plants of the field.
    [19] By the sweat of your brow
        you will eat your food
    until you return to the ground,
        since from it you were taken;
    for dust you are
        and to dust you will return." _^[NIV]

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. _^[NIV]

Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, [24] since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. _^[NIV]

WHEN YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS

Colossians 3:22-25

Ephesians 6:5-8

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. [6] Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. [7] Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, [8] because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. _^[NIV]

1 Corinthians 7:20-21

Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. [21] Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can gain your freedom, do so. _^[NIV]

Proverbs 22:29

    Do you see a man skilled in his work?
        He will serve before kings;
        he will not serve before obscure men. _^[NIV]

1 Timothy 6:1-2

All 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. _^[NIV]

Titus 2:9-10

Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, [10] and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. _^[NIV]

WHEN YOU ARE THE BOSS

Colossians 3:25-4:1

Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
[4:1] Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. _^[NIV]

Proverbs 20:28

Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through love his throne is made secure. _^[NIV]

1 Kings 12:3-17

    So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: [4] "Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you."
    [5] Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days and then come back to me." So the people went away.
    [6] Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked.
    [7] They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."
    [8] But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. [9] He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?"
    [10] The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'--tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. [11] My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.' "
    [12] Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days." [13] The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, [14] he followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions." [15] So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
    [16] When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

    "What share do we have in David,
        what part in Jesse's son?
    To your tents, O Israel!
        Look after your own house, O David!"

So the Israelites went home. [17] But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. _^[NIV]

Matthew 18:23-35

    "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. [24] As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. [25] Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
    [26] "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' [27] The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
    [28] "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
    [29] "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
    [30] "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. [31] When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
    [32] "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. [33] Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' [34] In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
    [35] "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." _^[NIV]

Matthew 7:2

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. _^[NIV]