Luke 17:9 - No Reward for Hard Work...Or Is There?

Thursday 3/1/12 – No Reward for Hard Work….Or Is There?

Luke 17:9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.

Interpretation:

     A servant is expected to work. If he does a good job, he might not always get thanked. However, chances are that he will get something – more work. The reward for responsibility is more responsibility. We see this principle many times in jobs. If an employee is doing a good job, chances are, that will be the employee who the boss will come to when he needs to get something done.

     In Matthew 25, we see the parable of the talents. Three servants got a different amount of talents. One got five, one got two and one got one. The first two were faithful carrying out their responsibility and ended up doubling their amount. The last one just hid his talent. Although the master had some strict things to say to the last servant, to the first two he said, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things” (Matthew 25: 21 and 23). Although getting more work for a job well done might seem like the opposite of someone thanking you, it actually should be taken as a compliment. They see that you are a hard worker and know that they can trust you.

      Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to do. I’m the type that likes to get it over with as soon as possible. And if for some reason I can’t, I start to get anxious. But really, there’s no need for me to get anxious. I’m God’s servant and He says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. All I need to do is, in His strength, concentrate on the single task He’s given me to complete at that moment, and to the best of my ability glorify Him. More tasks will come – especially if I’m doing them right. I want God to be able to trust me and be pleased with my work; I want to be the one that my master feels comfortable giving more responsibility to. And if that’s the case, I need to learn now to be comfortable with a lot on my plate and a long “to do” list.

Application:

     When I get anxious about all the work I have to do, whether it’s doing homework, KP (Kitchen Patrol - i.e. cleaning up after meals), or whatever it is, I will focus on simply doing the task God has commanded me to do at that moment.