Are You A Hired Servant?

Re-posted from one of my favorite blogs, Productive Ministry dot com:

In his sermon on the mount, Jesus tells us,” blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” So many that I have worked with in the church fake meekness. They do this by putting on the mask of the servant, and busying themselves with mundane tasks of ministry. And for them it is great at first. People notice that they are always the first ones on the scene; ready to mop, or cook, or teach. And they say to them, “Thank you, it is so great that you have such a servants heart!” or “You! What would we do without you? Thank God that you are here!” And these servants love the attention, and it inspires them to work harder, to serve more, and they are happy.

What happens if you work hard and nobody says thank you. What happens when you do your best and you are hated? What about when people start abusing you and barking orders at you, and complaining about everything that you do? What happens when those you have loved the most leave the church because they say no one cared for them? How will you feel, when you have loved them with everything that you have and they complain to your senior minster, or to your elders. Will you continue you to love them and to serve them?

You see, acting like a servant does not make you a servant. Anyone can act like a servant, (I work at a church; believe me, anyone can act like a servant). You will know that you are a servant when you do not mind being treated like a servant. Just as celebrities do not mind being treated like celebrities, none of us mind being treated as we are. However, all of us will take offense when we believe that we are being treated unfairly. It is our nature.

In The book The Brothers Karamazov, a Lady says this, “[I ask myself] ‘would you persevere in love, or not?’ And do you know, I came with horror to the conclusion that, if anything could dissipate my love to humanity, it would be ingratitude. In short, I am a hired servant, I expect my payment at once- that is, praise, and the repayment of love with love. Otherwise I am incapable of loving anyone.”

As a steward of the Kingdom of God we have to remember that we no longer work to receive “the world” because as kingdom people we have already inherited all that is worthwhile (through no effort of our own). That means that we are free to love without the worry of payment or reward. Think about it.