A Servant and Yet, A Child

He doesn't owe us a thing...not one thing.  God doesn't owe any of us...anything.  

Sounds harsh, doesn't it?  But read on...the good stuff is to come.  

The other day, while searching for verses about faith, I came across Luke 17, and what I read there, shocked me.  Verse seven begins, "Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep.  Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down and eat'? 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'? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?  So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" 

Now I know that servant-hood or slavery is not a part of our society today - at least legally - but for the people in Christ's day, it was commonplace.  People understood what it meant to be a slave, as well as "own" a slave.  

Jesus uses this particular relationship to show His disciples what their relationship to God (and ours) actually looks like.  In reality, He is the Master.  We are His slaves.  

These verses explain that while the Master eats, the slave waits and actually serves Him.  He is not invited to dine with the Master, nor does the Master tell him "thank you" for his service in the field or his efficient service during dinner.  Why?  Is it because of a lack of gratitude on the Master's part.  No.  It's just the servant's job.  He's merely doing what he was expected to do.  As hard as it sounds, THAT is the reality of our relationship with God.  

He owes us nothing.  

He isn't required as our God to make our lives peaceful, nor happy. He's not required to do anything for us at all.  He is God.  Period. We are merely to obey what He commands and do what He expects of us. 

That hit me like a ton of bricks.  You see, I "know" that God isn't required to "bless" me, but I really don't believe it wholeheartedly. Instead, down deep, I tend to think that if I am obedient to His leading, then He MUST reward me with some sort of compensation in my life.  I should be content and happy and cheerful and able to help others and speak well and write well without run-on sentences and be blessed.  

Period.  

Yet as my Master, He isn't required to do any of those things for me...AT ALL. Instead, my relationship with Him is one of obedience without question, not expecting anything in return...not even a "thank you" or a pat on the back.  

God is my Master.  

I am His servant.  

That humbled me greatly, and at the same time, made me incredibly thankful.  Sounds kinda strange, huh?  What I mean is that I realized that everything I have, didn't come to me because I was a good servant.  Fortunately for me AND you, the Master/slave relationship isn't the only reality that exists.  There's another.  

You see, we are His servants and rightly so.  He is God.  However, we are ALSO His kids - the very apples of His eyes.  He delights in us, as Zephaniah 3:17 states, and dances over us with joy.  So the blessings that come from obedience, don't come because "I" did the right thing.  Instead, they originate because He is good, and He's my Dad...my Father.   

Yes, I am a servant...  

...and yet thankfully, because of Christ, so much more.  

I thank You, God.  I thank You for filling my life with abundant blessings, because You are who You are...not because of me or anything I have done or will ever do.  I praise You, Lord.  Praise You.