Luke 17:7-10
7 "Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down at table'?
8 Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink'?
9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?
10 So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"
------------
When we give our time, talent, and treasure in the service of others, we typically want something in return. We don't really say it out loud, but we typically want to be thanked and appreciated. Maybe even recognized publicly at some time or another. We tell people about the good we do, and we look for their approval. Maybe not openly ... but I'm willing to bet that deep inside, most of us crave it.
I say "we" because I definitely am like this. I don't want to be like this, and I'm trying hard to eliminate this manifestation of pride in my life, but I'm not there yet. Chirst's model is different. We are called to be servants. He gives the commands, and we are to follow them. Then we get the next commandment.
Meandering again ...
I think sometimes many of us forget that the "kingdom of God" it actually is a KINGdom. Christ isn't just a guide, or a benevolent teacher, or a big brother giving advice. He is KING. That means he is in charge, and what he says GOES. There is no debate or negotiation.
This is tough stuff for us in modern times, and particularly in America, where the idea of being a servant of a supreme ruler runs counter to everything the nation was founded on. The concept of a king is foreign to us.
We hear and say that "Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior." We're all in love with the idea of Christ as savior. But what about Christ as Lord? Christ clearly tells us that to love Him is to follow His commandments. That means to NOT follow his commandments is to NOT love Him.
He doesn't just say this once, he says it repeatedly in the gospels. Why is it that we convince ourselves otherwise? Why is it that we convince ourselves that we "believe in" Christ, but we don't actually BELIEVE HIM when he tells us that we must follow his commandments?
