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Most of us eat every day,
some of us too much because yesterday's food

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is not enough to supply energy for
today's needs. Why then, do some

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of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly
manna the word of God to keep us

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through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all of

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that. Let's experience God's words today
and receive the power we need to live

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healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to
Your Daily Portion with your host, author

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speaker L. David Harris. Good
morning, Good morning, Good morning.

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It is Tuesday, September five,
twenty twenty three. Hello, my name

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is L. David Harris. I
am your host, and this is your

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Daily Portion where we give you God's
Word every single day, and today is

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no exception. We are continuing in
our lesson study series through the Book of

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Ephesians under the caption Slavery in Paul's
Day, Slavery in Paul's Day. We'll

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get into that in just a moment, but first I'd like to say welcome

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to you and ask you to please
go over to your Daily Portion dot com

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and join our online community there.
I would like for you also to add

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where are you anywhere in the world
like I want to know what country,

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what city, like, where are
you in the world. That helps me

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to become encouraged and stay encouraged knowing
that the Gospel of the Kingdom is being

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preached into all the world for a
witness because Jesus promised that it's then and

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only then that the end will come. And I know that this is not

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the only way to spread the gospel, but it sure is encouraging to me.

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So please go over to your Daily
Portion dot com. Also pick up

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your Daily Portion book and we can
build faith and fellowship together. Let's go

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ahead and pray and then get underway. Father in Heaven, thank you for

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this day. Please give us your
wisdom. Please help us to love and

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to serve you, and help us
to apply your truth in our lives.

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In Jesus name, I pray,
Amen and Amen again. Slavery in Paul's

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day. Now, if I were
to go through this the way that the

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caption reads, then really you would
just get a history lesson, and I'm

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not interested in that today. It's
important to understand, absolutely, yes,

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But my primary concern today is that
we can apply the principles of the scriptures

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related to that in our day and
in our society. So I'm gonna,

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you know, do my best to
do that. So really I want to

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re term this so we can make
it applicable to us and part in the

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long the long title. But Paul's
guidance in relationships in hierarchical work environments,

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you see, there are environments where
there is a boss, there is a

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manager, there is a team of
manager, a team of officers, and

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then the workers going down down through
the list. Right, So that is

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the way that we're going to do
it. In a summary of Paul's insights,

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I'll call it on workplace relations And
absolutely there was some specific things that

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he was dealing with where masters and
slaves were concerned. But again, I

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want to contemporize it so we can
apply it. Okay, And so the

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number one takeaway that I have for
today is mutual respect. In professional environments,

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you work for someone, right,
You're on a team somewhere, you

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have employees, you have members of
your team over whom you supervise. Yeah,

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so this is this is what I
want you to think about mutual respect.

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And Ephesians chapter six, verses five
through nine. It's gonna say something

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like this, if we look at
it in through a contemporary lens. Employees,

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when you do your tasks, do
them with respect and sincerity. Does

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that resonate with you? Do you
work for someone okay, as if you

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were serving a higher purpose or mission. Endeavor to do your best always,

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not just when you are being observed. Approach your work with enthusiasm, as

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though you were working for a cause
larger than just a paycheck. Working as

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unto the Lord. Remember that any
good work is intrinsically rewarding. Employers in

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the same spirit, treat your employees
with fairness and understanding. Refrain from using

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your position for intimidation. I wish
I had the time. I hope you're

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listening. Recognize that everyone is equal
in dignity and worth mutual respect in professional

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environments. Let's go to the second
one, commitment to personal and professional growth

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in First Corinthians, chapter seven Versus
twenty through twenty four. We could read

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it in a contemporary sense. Stay
committed to your current path, but always

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seek opportunities for growth and improvement.
Remember that personal growth and professional roles are

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intertwined. Value the journey and experiences
you've gained, and recognized the importance of

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staying true to your convictions. Everyone
regardless of their position, should remain dedicated

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and principled. That's a good one. Commitment to personal and professional growth.

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How about this one number three?
Promoting equality and inclusion or inclusivity from Ephesians,

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Chapter six, verse nine. Leaders
foster and environment of mutual respect.

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And so if you are a leader, a manager, or whatever supervisory position,

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it is up to you because the
company or organization will only grow in

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the same measure that you lead.
You understand, refrain from using your position

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to instill fear or insecurity. I
wish I had the time. Even in

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the church, there are individuals,
unfortunately, who actually use their position to

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cause fear instill insecurity. So the
Bible is teaching us a principle to not

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do that. Remember, every person
deserves respect and has intrinsic value. That

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means value based on the fact that
we exist like God. God created us

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with a reality of value. No
matter what position you're in or not in,

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everyone has value. Okay, So, given our contemporary context, Paul's

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words can be seen as a call
for equality mutual respect. It doesn't matter

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if I'm your boss, you're my
boss. We are equal mutual respect.

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It doesn't matter if I am your
supervisor, you are my supervisor. We

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must show respect and understanding. Ah
doesn't matter if I am your supervisor or

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you are my supervisor. We must
seek to understand before we seek to understood,

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to be understood. All of this
in workplaces, all of this in

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workplaces now, really without ignoring what
Paul was teaching directly to the people that

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were listening. Historical teaches teachings,
when viewed through a contemporary lens, can

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offer valuable insights into modern challenges.
As we navigate the complexities of today's work

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environments, it is essential to champion
here's that word again, respect, fairness

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and inclusion or inclusivity, ensuring that
everyone, regardless of their role, is

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treated with dignity and understanding. Can
I just say I did say that I

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addressed the elephant in the room,
the pink elephant in the room some time

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ago. God never condoned slavery as
we see it in the context of the

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Transatlantic slave trade. Yes, there
were people who worked for people in Jamaica

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Land. We love. We have
what what some people call who pardon me,

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some people call helpers. These are
individuals who are in the home who

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address the things more most of the
time on the inside of the four walls

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of the home, the cooking,
the cleaning, sometimes the care of children.

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And then there are workmen who work
on the house and the grounds and

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things that happen on the outside.
Right, there are people who are blessed

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enough to have drivers and other kinds
of helpers sinola, assistants, valets.

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Right, these individuals are all equal
to the persons who employ them. I

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don't have any of these people,
but if I did, I would know,

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based on what the scriptures are teaching
me, that everyone must be treated

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with dignity and understanding, dignity and
respect, knowing that their value comes because

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or as a direct result of the
creator who created them. And so the

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blessing is that God has not left
us alone or confused in our day.

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Slavery in the way that I described
it earlier has always been wrong. And

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when we have our workplace relations,
treat each other with dignity and respect.

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Peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends, Always remember we cannot live

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by bread alone, but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God.

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This has been your daily portion with
l David Harris. Make it a

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great day.