Luke 17:8 says, "But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink."
Luke 17:9 says, "Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded of him? I think not."
Why do I think I should be thanked when I do what I am supposed to do? That's like if I clean my room and my parents thank me. No, that's my duty as their child. So why when I follow the commandments that God gives me and serve and love like He tells me to, do I get upset when I don't receive a "Thank you" or praise for my work? Um, ok I did my job. No one needs to thank me for doing what I am supposed to do. But yet so often I seek praise. I get frustrated when my works don't get noticed and appreciated. Jesus tells me that it's better when I can serve without being noticed because my Father in Heaven will reward me, and I don't know about you but that sounds so much better to me than any human praise or reward. If I am only serving with the intention of drawing attention and pleasing man than my attitude needs to seriously change.
When I was younger, most of my friends got allowance for doing their chores. But my parents mainly saw chores as our part in our family. It was our way to contribute to the family just like each of my parents contributed to the family. So because of this, we for the most part didn't get allowance. Sometimes this frustrated me, but I understood that this was my role in being part of the family. If I would have gotten an allowance for doing regular household chores, it would have been rewarding me for doing what I was supposed to do.
In the same way, I need to remember and understand that one of my roles in the body of Christ is serving. And because it is my role and my way to contribute, I shouldn't expect thanks. Yesterday, Scoot gave a great example that stuck out to me. Expecting thanks for doing what God asks of me is like completing my assignment for class and Pastor Jim saying, "Great Job! You know what, you get the rest of the day off…" It doesn’t work like that. Finishing my assignment is what is expected of me. It is one of my roles in being a student.
If I am looking for praise when I am serving than I am serving for the wrong reason. I need to be serving for God's glory and because it is what He has asked of me, not for the attention of man. Serving for the attention of man will not satisfy anyways. It will leave me empty. But serving God fills me up.
Application:
Even though it sounds silly, I am going to write "secret service" on the inside of my left hand today and tomorrow so that I remember to look for ways to serve and not seek praise. I will pray that God keeps working in my heart and helping me be a humble servant and not self-seeking.
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