Jesus gives a brief story about the interaction between a servant and his master. The conclusion is that the servant should not expect any praise or special treatment for merely doing his job.
So too should be our attitude when we do what God expects of us.
Instead, we—I don’t think I’m alone in this—have a tendency to expect God’s attention and special favor when we merely do what we’re supposed to do.
It’s as if we tell him, “Look what I did for you; now you need to do something for me.”
While I do think God appreciates and takes pleasure in the good things we do, he doesn’t owe us anything as a result.
He’s already given us everything through Jesus. What more could we want or need?
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 16-18, and today’s post is on Luke 17:7-10.]
Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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