It’s been quite a while since I last posted anything, but I’ve been tied up with some other projects and the busy-ness of the Christmas season made it impossible to find the time to sit down and write something worth reading. But I hope to get back into the swing of things and hopefully challenge your thinking about biblical and theological issues and how they impact our daily Christian walk.
It is the matter of our Christian walk that I want to write about today. In my daily quiet time, I recently came across Luke 17:10 and it challenged my own thoughts about how I serve the Lord. Jesus had just finished teaching His disciples about forgiveness, faith, and having a slave’s mentality, and He concludes the passage with these words: “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”
As I thought about that verse, I was struck by how many times I have often found myself focusing on how busy I am for the Lord, and I start defining and evaluating my ministry, faithfulness, and even who I am by how much I am doing. After all, it feels good to have my hard work recognized. It’s nice to see my “to do” list getting shorter and shorter. I’ve even been known to think to myself, “Just look at how much I am doing for the Lord and the church.”
But this verse puts a new twist on my service for the Lord and others. Do I consider that I am actually undeserving of any recognition and honor, even though I’m so busy and do so much at my church? Do I see myself as an unworthy slave who is only doing what I ought to do for my Master, and not someone who deserves any special treatment? Do I see my service and faithfulness to the Lord as my expected duty as His slave?
Truth is a hard pill to swallow and no one else can take it for us. Be courageous, swallow hard, and let God’s Word begin to do its work on your heart disease called “self.” See yourself as an undeserving, unworthy slave who is only doing what you ought to do for your Lord. So chew on this verse and call on the Great Physician in the morning.
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