Morning Inspiration: When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’ ” Jesus, quoted in Luke 17:7-10
In today’s world, we’ve fallen into the trap of feeling we need & deserve, praise & rewards for everything we do. This Scripture takes us back to the basics, with a glimpse at how society functioned in the days of old. A servant simply did his/her duty, no questions asked, with no expectation of any special treatment or recognition. Jesus told this story to remind us that if we truly love Him, we are to consider ourselves as His servants. Our service to Him can come in a variety of forms: worship, prayer, & especially the way care… for those Jesus loves. Those who can’t care for themselves, or who don’t know the Lord are to be deemed better than us. The same applies to our family, friends, neighbors & co-workers! To serve them is to serve Jesus, with no concern of ribbons, medals, awards or special praise. If anything of that sort that comes our way, we should all know what to say: “Thank you very much, but God gets all the glory. I’m just doing my duty to Him.” Lord, show us ‘how & who’ You desire for us to serve today!
Steve Stucker
