Ephesians 6: 8-9

"knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him."

The first thing that I noticed when reading this verse is that we should all live honoring God no matter who we are (slave or free). More importantly, by doing so, we will "receive back from the Lord". This can come in many forms. Obviously in the form of eternal life but in other forms as well. For example, the true joy we receive through our relationship with Christ is so much greater than the joy we can receive from any earthly thing. I think this just further points out how we are not to serve/honor the Lord out of works, but out of a true desire for a relationship with him from whom all true blessings will flow! I think it's just amazing to think about how much we receive back compared to how much we give sometimes.

Continuing on with verse 9 I think it really points out how we are to interact with others, especially those who we have a large influence on / control over. I think about how gentle and kind Christ is with us. To try and "stop your threatening" reminds me of just truly caring for people and it's so hard to do this sometimes, especially with those who can disagree with us in various ways.

The more I think about it the more it impacts me. What power do I have to be mistreating others when God has power over all as he is everyone's master. Thinking about this just further iterates how much Christ gives to us and how much I wish I could give to others.