Faithful Servants

Susanna Wesley lived in obedience, not expecting
praise. The result of her work was seen in 
her children. 

Scripture:

Luke 17:7   “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? ⁸ Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

Observation:

A spirit of humility was to be observed in the lives of the disciples. This short parable may have been a glaring commentary on the way in which the Pharisees behaved, and in comparison, the way in which Jesus did not want his disciples to act. We are all servants of God and we do not live a “works” salvation. It was the responsibility of the religious leaders to plow the fields for God, and to tend God’s sheep. We do this work out of obedience to our Heavenly Father and because it is our responsibility, not because we expect special treatment as a result. Therefore, it is our responsibility to do the work that God asks us to do in the kingdom, not because we are seeking a reward, but simply because we are faithful. 

 Application:

I have the privilege of traveling and meeting many faithful individuals. Probably the best pastors and leaders are people you’ve never heard of, or maybe you’ve heard very little about them. That’s because they don’t spend time talking about themselves, nor the work that they are doing, but they simply do it. There is no expectation of human praise or reward every time they work hard, but instead, they simply understand that this is their responsibility, and they provide the faithful underpinning of God’s work in this world. 

In a day and age where everyone is expected to telegraph their lives on social media, it may come as a surprise that there are plenty who do not. The faithful individuals whom I meet rarely spend much time on social media, because they don’t have the time to hang out there. They’re not posting their latest thoughts on Twitter because they’re too busy helping the people of their community who are suffering, or leading a small group, or investing in studying the Word so that they can become more Christlike in this world. 

The Pharisees wanted public praise for the work that they believed they were doing for God. Jesus was teaching his disciples that there would likely not be much public praise, but in humility they were to say, “we have only done what we ought to have done!” That is our responsibility as faithful servants. Faithful servants do what they ought to do, and they’re okay if no one ever knows. We engage as Christ, faithfully serving our Master, for our joy comes from simply participating in his kingdom work. 

Prayer:

Lord, mustard seed faith is to lead to faithful service in your kingdom. May I live today in faithful service to you, and you alone. Amen.