What Jesus Did : Luke 17:7-10 - The Attitude of a Servant
by Phil Ware
The Attitude of a Servant - Luke 17:7-10
"Suppose one of you has a servant that has been working in the field. The servant has been plowing the ground or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, 'Come in and sit down to eat'? No! You would say to your servant, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Then get dressed and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.' The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. It is the same with you. When you do all the things you are told to do, you should say, 'We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.'" (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
In Jesus' day, a servant did not have the rights of an owner, an heir, or a citizen. A servant had to do what pleased his or her master regardless of thanks or praise. A servant had no right to expect approval or commendation. When a servant worked hard and completed a long list of demands, there was no expectation of praise; that servant only did what was expected. Jesus is Lord, Master, and Savior. He has called us to follow and serve him. Of course the incredible blessing is that when we come to him as a servant, he welcomes us as a sister or brother and friend.
Today's Prayer
Father, as I come and offer myself to your Son as a servant for his work and his glory, thank you for accepting me as your child and making me a sibling, a joint heir, with your precious Son and my Savior. In his name, Jesus Christ the Lord, I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
Jesus said to his followers, "Things will surely happen that will make people sin. But it will be very bad for the person that makes this happen. It will be very bad for a person if he makes one of these weak persons sin. It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the sea. So be careful! "If your brother sins, tell him he is wrong. If he is sorry {and stops sinning}, forgive him. If your brother does something wrong to you seven times in one day, but he says that he is sorry each time, then you should forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord (Jesus), "Give us more faith!" The Lord said, "If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, then you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!' And the tree will obey you. "Suppose one of you has a servant that has been working in the field. The servant has been plowing the ground or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, 'Come in and sit down to eat'? No! You would say to your servant, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Then get dressed and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.' The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. It is the same with you. When you do all the things you are told to do, you should say, 'We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.'"-- Luke 17:1-10 (ERV)
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