Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

— Ephesians 6:5

Many people around the world fall prey to the message of the prosperity gospel. It claims that all who believe in Jesus will experience social and economic prosperity. It’s tempting to believe this message—that a good Christian will always be the head and never the tail, the leader and never the follower, the rich person and never the poor. But the apostle Paul dispels that view of prosperity. He bears witness to the reality of the early church. Despite being children of God, there were still many Christians who were called to serve their fellow believers or even unbelievers—and some of them in that day were slaves. Paul urges them, in every situation, to serve their leaders wholeheartedly, with devotion, as if they were serving the Lord himself.

Paul, it would seem, is telling us that prosperity or success is not about having the most power or money or influence. Instead, we prosper through living a life of sincere Christian service. Working conscientiously for a boss or leader is a good thing when we do it for the right reason and in the right spirit. We should not work hard merely to reap the rewards of money and power; nor should we work hard at the expense of also serving our brothers and sisters.

How are you serving God in your work and daily tasks? How do you work differently because of your faith in Jesus?

Heavenly Father, turn my eyes to you so that I may learn to serve others humbly in all the areas of my life for Jesus’ sake. Amen.