LUKE 17:7-10 – “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
THEME OF THE DAY. THE RIGHTNESS OF OBEDIENCE. All of us have heard sermons, read books, been in Bible studies, and memorized scripture instructing us to obey God. There have been many motivators from many sources coming into our lives to obey Him. All these are necessary. Obedience is huge in the Christian life for at least two reasons. First, it is the only visible evidence affirming our love for the Lord Jesus. He made it crystal clear – “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Another reason why obedience is important in the Christian life is because without it, we cannot enjoy fellowship with the Lord – “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). But in today’s nugget, I want us to consider the scripture of the day and observe another reason for our obeying the Lord. It is the rightness of obedience.
In reading today’s Word from Luke, the Lord Jesus is telling His disciples by an illustration that obedience of a servant to a master is simply expected and right. There are no “special favors” given to a servant who is doing what a servant does. There are no entitlements given to an obedient servant. This individual is doing what the master says with no thought of anything beyond fulfilling what is the right thing to do. Now apply that to the Christian life.
Too often, our obedience is based on feelings. Admit it. How many times have we been depressed, discouraged or going through a dark valley of emotions when we feel powerless and it shows in our neglect to obey known commands. Let me provide one example. Have we ever missed church on the Lord’s Day or a prayer meeting because we didn’t feel like being there? How about being asked to serve in some ministry but it just “didn’t feel right?” If so, we have failed to understand the rightness of our obedience to King Jesus. Imagine being in the military, getting orders to go somewhere that was going to be hard, dangerous, and remove us from the comforts of family and friends. We then look at our superiors saying, “I really don’t feel like going.” Never happens.
When it comes to feelings-based obedience, we dishonor the Lord and realize we really don’t understand our relationship with Him. In following our feelings, not exercising faith, we are making obedience situational and contingent upon ourselves – emotions, moods, circumstances. Jesus deserves better. The rightness of our obedience is because of Who He is – King and Master. As we begin to see this, our obedience becomes rightly motivated by love and obligation. This is the proper blend in living the Christian life that produces a stable and disciplined Christian life.
PRAYER: “Father, You are worthy of obedience not just because You saved me, but by the truth You are God.”
QUOTE: “Whether Christian or not, obedience is due God because He is God. Being a Christian enables us to do so.”