WORD From The Woods
1 Timothy 6:1-2
“Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.”
This is a short passage, but one that I think has a very important message for us. Depending on the translation of the bible you read, this passage will use the word slave or bondservant. The word bondservant is more accurate. This really had nothing to do with the concept of slavery we think of in the early history of America. A bondservant was someone who had a debt that they couldn’t pay, so they were legally required to work it off in service to the person they were indebted to. And at some point they would be free of that debt. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul even talks about becoming a bondservant to Jesus! This type of servant/master relationship was much more like an employer/employee relationship that we know today. This is why I say it’s an important message for us today. Most of us reading this are involved in the timber industry in some way and we have a boss that we answer to. The clear message of this passage is that we are called to be a Christ-like example wherever we’re at, especially in the workplace. Most of us will spend the majority of our life working, especially loggers since we put in a lot more hours than most people. We build relationships with our co-workers and our bosses, and as Christians we’re called to represent Christ to the people we work with. Wether you’re a rigging slinger and work under a difficult hook tender, or a gypo log hauler who deals with a difficult dispatcher or truck boss somewhere, we all have bosses to answer to. And often, those bosses can be hard to deal with at times. But whatever that dynamic looks like, we’re all called to be a humble, respectful, hard working, Christ-like example! The way we act in front of the people we work with, especially when they’re difficult to deal with, is one of the most powerful witnesses about Christ we have. This passage speaks to both sides of these relationships as well, maybe you are the truck boss or the hooktender or the owner of the company, then you have a huge opportunity to represent Christ well in front of the guys you’re leading. Wherever you’re at in these types of relationships, this message is for you. This is really what this ministry is all about, to help you become more like Christ and represent Him to other folks in our industry!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
1 Timothy 6:1-2
“Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.”
This is a short passage, but one that I think has a very important message for us. Depending on the translation of the bible you read, this passage will use the word slave or bondservant. The word bondservant is more accurate. This really had nothing to do with the concept of slavery we think of in the early history of America. A bondservant was someone who had a debt that they couldn’t pay, so they were legally required to work it off in service to the person they were indebted to. And at some point they would be free of that debt. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul even talks about becoming a bondservant to Jesus! This type of servant/master relationship was much more like an employer/employee relationship that we know today. This is why I say it’s an important message for us today. Most of us reading this are involved in the timber industry in some way and we have a boss that we answer to. The clear message of this passage is that we are called to be a Christ-like example wherever we’re at, especially in the workplace. Most of us will spend the majority of our life working, especially loggers since we put in a lot more hours than most people. We build relationships with our co-workers and our bosses, and as Christians we’re called to represent Christ to the people we work with. Wether you’re a rigging slinger and work under a difficult hook tender, or a gypo log hauler who deals with a difficult dispatcher or truck boss somewhere, we all have bosses to answer to. And often, those bosses can be hard to deal with at times. But whatever that dynamic looks like, we’re all called to be a humble, respectful, hard working, Christ-like example! The way we act in front of the people we work with, especially when they’re difficult to deal with, is one of the most powerful witnesses about Christ we have. This passage speaks to both sides of these relationships as well, maybe you are the truck boss or the hooktender or the owner of the company, then you have a huge opportunity to represent Christ well in front of the guys you’re leading. Wherever you’re at in these types of relationships, this message is for you. This is really what this ministry is all about, to help you become more like Christ and represent Him to other folks in our industry!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-