A Parable about Serving

Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’

Luke 17:7-10 NIV

We find it hard to relate to this parable. For those who have not been raised in a culture of servitude, it can be difficult to grasp the concept of only doing one's duty and not receiving any kudos for doing what one was expected to do. It is, however, a clear illustration of how "We should serve God because of who he is and because he is worth serving. If a good slave does his duty for his master faithfully, how much more should God’s children, as those loved by him, serve him faithfully? Service, obedience, and duty are not rights we negotiate with God to exercise. They are the natural outgrowth of appreciating his act of grace in saving us, so we might bring honor to him." 1 

As servants of Christ, we are to follow His example to do everything the Father tells us - even unto death - trusting His Grace to see us through whatever He brings us to. It's not always easy and it rarely coincides with our humanistic view of what we deserve (as a reward) for having gone through it. We want to present our case for special consideration, but we would do well to study the writings of the Apostle Paul to learn what it means to be a servant of God. 

Remember that while we humbly submit and enthusiastically perform our duties, Scripture is clear that God will honor faithful service. Luke 12:27, Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.

Prayer:

Father,

          Forgive us for those times we thought we should be rewarded or highly regarded for doing only what we should've done anyway. You are El Shaddai, our Adonai, and we are so grateful for Your Mercy and Grace. Help us to better understand our place in relationship to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

1 NIV Application Commentary Copyright © 1996 by Darrel L. Bock.