8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
Verse eight indicates that the Lord will reward slaves for faithful service. There is an ultimate motivation for serving the Lord.
knowing that whatever good anyone does,
A Christian who diligently does his job knows something about the Lord. Human masters often do not notice excellent service; however, God is aware of everything one does on the job.
he will receive the same from the Lord,
The “same” here is that the Lord will ultimately pay the slave with a full reward in His own currency (2 Co 5:10). Regardless of whether the slave’s service caught their master’s attention, their ultimate Master will reward them in due time.
whether he is a slave or free.
God does not discriminate between slaves or freemen. He will reward them equally.
PRINCIPLE:
All Christians stand on equal ground before the Lord.
APPLICATION:
We can always count on the Lord to reward us for what we do. Our employer may not appreciate what we do. He may not even be aware of what we do, but the Lord knows everything we do for Him. Nothing will pass His notice.
Since nothing escapes our sovereign Master’s notice, we can trust Him for rewarding us faithfully (2 Co 5:10). There is a relationship between what we do and reward in God’s viewpoint. Social status will have nothing to do with that reward.
Though He (God the Father) may choose to reward us in this life, it is in the next life, when we are Home, that we will receive the rewards for our faithful service to Him. For the Father sees all and knows our heart and motivations for all that we do.
Although the Prosperity Gospel teachers misguide people to think that you will “live your best life now” scripture teaches the opposite. We should expect nothing in this life, except persecution, but give everything for the next life.