Luke 17: 7But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
This is a unique teaching, one of the times when Jesus interjected his personal feeling about the little things that are important. He asked the question of the servants concerning their attitude toward the duties placed on them. Does the master thank the servant for doing his job? Jesus said “I think not.”
This reminds us of our privilege to be a child of God and serve the Lord, to do the job he’s given us—our assigned duties. Being a Christian should never be a burden or lifestyle that we have to do. It should be a joy. He likened us unto servants who were delegated duties. At supper time, is it proper for the servant to come in and have the master sit him down and serve him because he did his duty for the day? No. The duties were not completed until the master was taken care of. The servants would eat in due time.
When you’ve done your duty as a Christian, how do you think about yourself? It’s human tendency to expect recognition for doing good. “I’ve been a good boy lately. How about doing something for me?” It doesn’t work that way. It’s a privilege to perform what is required of us. We’re all unworthy. Being a servant doesn’t give us an edge and obligate the Lord. We please him, but he’s still the Master. Our reward is the honor to serve him. It should be enough.
There is food in the kitchen, but the kitchen is not the servant’s. It belongs to the master. He bought it, right down to the food for himself and his household. In that day, servants were part of the household and had their portion when it was time. Remember this. In our relationship with God, he is the provider. We haven’t provided church or Christianity for him; he provided it for us. As servants we belong to his household. We’re not in this for ourselves but for the Master. Even when servants came in from working all day, they still realized the work wasn’t done until the master was served. They knew they would eat in time. We will get to eat when it’s time. We need to keep serving.
Always count it a joy to serve the Lord. If we don’t see fireworks over what we do, don’t worry. Do what God wants. There is reward in just simply being and doing what God wants. Recognize where God has put you. The time is coming when you will eat. It’s not all labor and cross-bearing. There is joy in serving now as well as there will be at the end of the road.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 