Jesus is Essential
Luke 17:5–10: And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”
As His servants, we must beware lest we have the wrong attitude toward our duties. There are two extremes to avoid: merely doing our duty in a slavish way because we have to, or doing our duty because we hope to gain a reward. Christian industrialist R.G. LeTourneau used to say, “If you give because it pays, it won’t pay.”
This principle also applies to service. Both extremes are seen in the attitudes of the elder brother (Luke 15:25–32) who was miserably obedient, always hoping that his father would let him have a party with his friends. 1
Walking with Jesus
Do you have the proper attitude for Christian service?
- “Doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6).
- “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8
To delight in Him is to delight in what we do for Him.
Praying
Lord, thank You for changing my heart,, my attitude, and my will.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
