God’s View on Serving

Scripture Reading: Luke 17:1-19

Key Verse: Luke 17:10

“In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty’.”

This Key Verse for today has come to me on many occasions over the years.

I’m not sure why it is stuck in my brain and keeps coming to the surface of my memory every so often. I have a feeling that it might be because we all, at times, think that we have really been or done good for God and expect extra blessings from Him. In those moments, it is this passage of Jesus’s teaching that must check our thinking.

Jesus once again uses the common experiences of the people at that time, to teach an eternal lesson. In this story, Jesus reminds them that when a servant (a hired hand in our society) comes in from working in the fields, the owner of the field doesn’t say: “come eat with me”. No, the servant knows that his work is not done. He was expected to fix the owner of the field a meal and serve it to him. The servants would eat later in the evening. Should the servant feel cheated in any way? Jesus asked. His response is that the servant is only doing what is expected.

What does God expect from us? Jesus is indicating that we are not to expect God to give us special gifts because we have been good, or we have done good! We are doing all that God has told us from the beginning of our journey with Him. We are to daily live the life God has called us to, taking up our cross and following Him.

At times we must sacrifice the things that feed our egos or cravings but would harm our relationship with God. We must make those sacrifices with no thought of being rewarded here on earth because we are simply doing our duty to the God who loved us and redeemed us from sin.

It is my opinion that this small passage of scripture refers to our motivation behind our service to God more than anything else. God doesn’t want us to do things for Him simply to get more blessings from Him.

God doesn’t want us to think our relationship with Him is like a dog trainer’s relationship with his dog. The dog trainer walks around with a pocket full of treats and whenever the dog does good, he gets a treat.

We need to make sure we see God as worthy of sacrificing our very lives as we serve Him because He gave His only Son to save us. We know we are looking forward to an eternity of total blessings, with zero pain or suffering of any kind. That is more than enough for us to simply serve God as best we know how, every single day, during this short life.

Let’s allow this short little story of Jesus’s to check our motivations in our service to Him.

Father, I give you permission to take my life and do with it as you choose. I trust your love and wisdom in directing my life. In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.