8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?
Luke 17:8-9
Jesus uses some hard words here. Do we expect gratitude when we only do what we are required to do? Often it seems that way. We want to be appreciated for what we do, and sometimes we selfishly want to be noticed for what we do.
Jesus tells us that, like servants, when we do God’s work we are only doing what we have been told to do. He teaches that we should be humble as servants, not wanting recognition for merely doing what is expected of us. This is sometimes a difficult thing. We are so used to the attention of the world, we expect that God will praise us for everything we do.
The truth is that God does love us for who and what we are, His children. Our work for His kingdom is appreciated, but it is also expected. We owe Him everything, doing what is asked of us is only our duty.
Heavenly Father, we are Yours and we offer our love and praise. Help us to be good stewards of all Your gifts, using them well and in humble service for all our brothers and sisters. Amen.