“Does he [the master] thank the servant because he did what he was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17: 9-10)
Think about this passage a minute longer…this takes the entitlement mentality head on. The master doesn’t say to his servant, “You have the privilege of sitting at my table because you’ve done the chores you were supposed to do.” The master has every right to expect that his servant will fulfill his obligations without additional reward. If you are hired for a specific job, for specific wage and you do that job you are promised nothing more than what you originally agreed to. It may be prudent to thank your employees for a job well done but we are not entitled to it nor do we deserve it.
So, if the master says to the servant who merely fulfills his duties, “Sit at my table,” that’s not so much a sign of the servant’s deserving as of the master’s generosity. When we expect more we often miss the blessings that come our way. When we believe we deserve more just because we show up then we become bitter and miss the goodness that God has given in our calling. When we believe we are entitled to more we will always be disappointed because when will more be enough?
Similarly, just because we’ve done the good works that we are supposed to do, that doesn’t earn heaven’s privileges. What secures our place at our Master’s heavenly table is the graciousness of His heart. Paul reminds us in a number of places of this. I will only highlight only two, Eph. 1:4-5-“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will…” and…II Tim. 2:8-9- “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”. That’s the message of the gospel of grace! His mercy, not our merit, assures us of God’s eternal care.
It is when we perceive how generous God’s unmerited mercy is, and how great the privilege of sitting at His table in heaven is…even when we have not done all we were commanded… then we respond in loving service without expecting to earn the favor that is only granted by His grace! Ps. 23:5-6- “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Mercy and grace from before the beginning are the outward expressions of God’s love for His own. Without that we would never be able do enough. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Eph. 2:8-9
Think on these things a little longer…
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
