Obey - III

Master or Employer?

MEMORY VERSE

“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 to 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.’” Luke 17:7-10

REFLECTION

Do you relate to Jesus as your master or as your employer? Here’s the test:  Are there limits to what you consider reasonable demands? Do you expect breaks, time off and ‘comp time’ when you work overtime? Do you consider some of your time “my time” and some “His time”?  If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you just might need to take a closer look at Luke 17:7-10.

This passage talks of a servant who has worked all day in the field - hard back-breaking work in the heat and the dirt. When he's done with his day's work he is still expected to make dinner for his master and wait on him while he eats. Only then can the servant take care of his own needs. This is the life of a servant, constantly in the service of his master, not having rights or expectations for his own time.  The master commands, the servant obeys.

Also surprising is that servants should not expect thanks from the master.  There seems to be a sense of peace and contentment when after obeying every instruction, the servant says, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Have you drawn a line separating 'your time' from ‘His time’? Where is the line?
How has this scripture changed your understanding of what it means to be a servant of Jesus?

In what areas is Jesus calling you to give up, open up and more fully obey?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK
Read this passage every day this week.

Enjoy the peace and contentment that comes when you do hard things in obedience to Christ.