Servant Hearts

Servant Hearts

Read: Luke 17:7-10

“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 17:10

“If you take little account of yourself, you will have peace, wherever you live.”

—Abba Poemen

IN WORD Jesus frequently points out that the attitude of the servant is perhaps as critical as the service itself. In the kingdom of God, the heart counts. Our actions are certainly important, but the God who sees the intricacies of our motives knows that right actions will naturally flow from right attitudes. He aims His Word straight at our hearts, where He most desires to shape us.

Jesus’ teaching in Luke 17 is a little unsettling to our egos. We want to hear a “Well done!” in response to our good work for the Master. And elsewhere Jesus indicates that we might receive one. But that is not the attitude with which we come to Him. He rids us of any assumption that God may employ a system of quid pro quo. Everything we receive from Him is a gift. Though we often try to negotiate favors from God—“I’ll witness to my neighbor if You’ll answer my prayers for a raise,” or some similar barter—we are never in a position to do so. We serve Him because that’s what servants do. Period.

IN DEED God is gracious and He blesses us with innumerable and invaluable blessings. Jesus is clear about that. But He is also clear that we can never come to God with a sense of entitlement to those blessings. We can never say, “God, I’ve behaved well; why are You treating me this way?” To do so indicates that at some level, conscious or subconscious, we still think our standing with God is dependent on our performance. It isn’t. Our standing with God is dependent on Christ’s performance, and we are forever indebted.

God is intensely interested in our works. Our performance does matter to Him, but only as a response of faith, not as an act of merit. Our attitude of service indicates the degree in which the gospel has penetrated our hearts. And if it has truly penetrated our hearts, it will be humble service indeed.