And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.”
Memory Verse: Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:7
Back in the days, servants were stripped off basic rights and that hasn’t changed much in recent years especially in West Africa, precisely Nigeria, where I originate from. Although some parts of the world now have robust rules in place protecting every human being of which servants are inclusive, we see those in that position of servanthood are now beginning to claim certain rights but those rights are very limited as they are still bound by their master’s final say.
I watched a movie recently and one of the lead characters expressed his feeling about appreciating a servant. He mentioned there is no need to be respectful or modest, saying “please or thank you” to a maid/servant because she is being paid for her job and needs to deliver in her role without expectation of accolades. For a moment, I thought this was shallow but then, how many people in today’s world have the mindset of this actor in question? Possibly a good number. If an employer decides to give some sort of praise to the servant, then it’s voluntary and not expected, refusing to shower praises does not stop the servants from continuing their duties.
Form a child’s perspective, children want praises for every little thing they do. For a fact, they do better when they are praised, it is like the carrot theory. They want to be commended even for doing things they will naturally do. Children have that feeling of entitlement with their parents and at such when parents fail to commend their children, demotivation sets in.
Without doubt, to heal demotivation, every individual loves to be showered accolades in one way or the other either by family, friends, loved ones, bosses, managers, outsiders and the likes of it. As this don’t tend to happen in some settings, we must therefore decide what position we want to be in. Spiritually, we can choose to be slaves or sons. God has given us the opportunity to be called sons, sending his son Jesus to die, and us having to accept him as savior and belong to His camp. In like manner, the world has its own callout too, a twisted one at that which makes those who choose that path seem they are living like kings, not knowing they are slaves to the devil and the sins of the world.
Though the attitude varies from servant to children, one thing is however clear, everyone has a duty to perform. Sometimes it appears we don’t understand our responsibilities and lack of understanding could mean we either get stuck doing the wrong things or we continually look forward to the wrong type of rewards. As a child of God, there are instructions in place by our father and there are accolades in terms of blessings for diligently obeying him but the size of blessings received depends on your position with Him.
Savants have no inheritance no matter how long they serve, all they get is their wages as agreed and then they move on, but children have a greater place, Matthew 25:34.
God is father to His children and His reward is only for Children. Unless you give your life to Christ and are adopted into the family of God, everything you do is as a slave and therefore you have no inheritance through Christ.
Two paths are set before you today, the part of a servant and the path of a son; choose to be a son/child of God.
PRAYERS:
- Father you for you for your endless mercies
- Daily I shall worship you and love you more
- I am a son and not a servant, I renounce servanthood today in Jesus name
- I accept you as my Jesus and Savior, I surrender all to you and path ways with the world
- Forgive me of my shortcomings o Lord and help me to live above sin
- Receive my sacrifice of praise for in Jesus mighty name I pray, AMEN.
