7 "Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8 Won't he rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So 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 17:7-10Are you motivated to serve those around because of guilt or fear or rewards? The idea of, what's in it for me? As long as I get something out of it, I will do it?
Or are you motivated to serve out of love? Maybe it is more about love than it is about you. If we are moving along the spiritual journey continuum and closer to being a passionate Christ follower, what does loving those around you look like?
Jesus shows us what that is with his life, but specifically he show us through this passage
. . . . Having loved his (Jesus) own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. . . . he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:1, 5 (portions)Jesus lived out and called us to love like this. Really, I believe Jesus points us to this; love is as love does. Think about that statement for a minute. Love is as love does . . . . .
What does that look like for you? How is Jesus asking you to live that out with those around you? I am sure it isn't washing your boss' feet . . . but what is it for you? And it's not for you to get a raise, it is to love. Remember love isn't simply a noun or a feeling. Love is an action, love is a verb, love is a choice.
Love is as love does. Share with us what that looks like for you.
2 comments:
It is easy to love those I am in close relationships with. It is easy to love those who are hurting, struggling, those who open up with what is really going on in their lives. It is easy to love those who love me. It's easy to love anyone trying to recover from addiction of drugs/alcohol. For me it is hard to love a co-worker who may know it all and thinks they are better or above you. Hard to love someone who is consumed by hate, or a person who is negative most of the time. People with challenging personalities......so to speak. For these people I must begin by praying for them, by trying to have compassion and remind myself that I have no idea what is going on in their life and maybe they don't know any other way to be. They may have not been shown love, taught love and maybe they do not know Jesus and the love He shared here on Earth and from above and by my side. This topic has just shown me, reminded me what I need to do for those difficult people I encounter in my life. Thanks, God Bless, Lori H.
That is some great, honest, life wrestling stuff. As Christ points out, earlier on in the Sermon on the Mount. You can love those who love you, but what about your enemies? Now that is love. God needs to continue to do a work in me, because that is hard. But if I am about his kingdom, coming into my life and in my relationships, I need to work towards that.
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