Servants Don't Deserve Special Thanks

Several years ago, I came across some of Jesus’ words in Luke 17:7-10. The passage talked about how servants were required to do their duty and not expect any thanks… something like that…

“⁷ If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, “Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat”?
⁸ No, you wouldn’t say that. You would say, “Fix me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink.”
⁹ Servants don’t deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do.
¹⁰ And that’s how it should be with you. When you’ve done all you should, then say, “We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty.” (CEV)

This was a surprise to me because it was different from the “pay-back” messages I was used to hearing. Things like, “Pay attention to God’s matters and things of the Kingdom, so that He can pay attention to yours.” Or “Give a financial seed of promotion or fruitfulness or whatever, so that God can give back to you.” Or “You should be involved in sanctuary cleaning, so that God can clean up every mess in your life.”

While it is true that God rewards great service (Galatians 6:9), it is not right to serve God only because you want to reap from Him. That is not love. That is selfishness. Many of us believers are actually selfish. We do things for the Kingdom from a heart of “getting-back”. Despite knowing that God gave us His Son without reserve and has promised to give us all things freely (Romans 8:32), we are not ready to give Him or His anything for free. “After all, He’s a wealthy God and has all things to give,” we say.

Isn’t it surprising to learn that Jesus (God Himself) does not agree with our kind of thinking? You don’t praise a servant for doing the job he was employed to do. Why should we be patted on our backs for every single act of kindness we extend to a fellow human being? Isn’t that our duty? Aren’t we supposed to love others freely just as God has loved us? Aren’t we supposed to serve God without expecting anything?

A few years back, I was given an award in an organization I belong to. The award was for “paying all my dues on time and supporting the vision.” I was so excited about the award only because it came with a gift that I really liked. Days later however, I reflected and realized that I did not deserve the award. Nobody did. As a member of the organization, I was required to pay my dues and support the vision. I had not done anything extraordinary. I had not done anything special. I’m guessing the leadership probably thought it was important to give that award to encourage payment of dues. But the fact that others did not do what they were expected to do doesn’t make it special that I did.

Let’s think about it, are we praised for delivering our daily duties at work every day? I don’t think so. So why do we expect to be commended for every act of love and service we give on behalf of our Heavenly Father.

Dearly beloved, no matter how hard you work for God’s kingdom, don’t do it out of a heart of selfishness. Do not do it because you hope to receive a reward. God is a righteous God; you will never miss your reward (Hebrews 6:10). However, remember that in God’s vineyard, you are a servant doing the Master’s will. Like Jesus said in Luke 17:9, servants don’t deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do.

Even more, we are actually God’s children, not merely servants. If you had a child that asked you to pay him for being a child to you, how would you feel? Imagine that you did some laundry and had your clothes out on the clothesline, and you had a child who saw the clouds gather and then took initiative to bring your clothes in. Imagine that you got back home at night and he handed you a bill because he brought your clothes in, how would you feel? I’m sure not great.

So think about it… when you serve selfishly, have you behaved like a true child to your Heavenly Father? Why do you want to be specially encouraged before you go out and evangelize Christ to sinners? Why is it so important to you to be reminded that when you sow bountifully you reap bountifully before you can give financially to the church building project or the feed-the-hungry cause going on in your church? Why can’t you serve from a heart of love, selflessness and gratitude?

In our daily Christian walk, we should always remember that servants and children do not deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do. In fact, no one does. When you’ve done all you should, then say, “We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty.” (Luke 17:10_b)