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.
It can be very difficult for us to not let pride puff us up. This can be especially true when we are part of a culture that seems to reward such insignificant things. Let me give you an example. When someone can curse and swear in rhythm, we give them their own record label and promote them as good for our society’s young people. But when someone spends all their days and evenings teaching and preparing to teach our children, we pay them next to nothing. Now which is more valuable, the filthy music, or the investment into the next generation? We pay investment bankers millions while the manufacturer gets pennies. I am not advocating increasing government control of pay scales! The government has too many tentacles as it is. Jesus is making a very simple point. We are servants. Our job does not come with many opportunities for fame and glory, let alone praise. When we have the proper view of ourselves we will recognize our own need for grace and not try to demand some recognition that is not ours to claim. Humility is an essential element of our walk of faith. We will always be unworthy servants accepted by the Lord. We will never rise above unworthy. All our best efforts still fall short of achieving acceptance with God. Only Jesus’ work on our behalf does this. We will always be in debt. But we can do our duty. Our duty does not earn us favor. We have God’s favor already because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We can come with grateful hearts to the Lord every day.
The Arnold Journey 