If we have obeyed God we have only done our duty and we should regard it as a privilege. Do you sometimes feel that you deserve extra credit for serving God? Remember obedience is not something extra we do; it is our duty. Jesus is not rendering our services as meaningless or useless, nor is he doing away with rewards. He is attacking unwarranted self-esteem and spiritual pride.
I was being sifted of just that. There arose a need to help the church... after two weeks of meticulous detail in preparing and setting up for 15 group fellowships there was a sigh of relief when we had an evening off. I was not asked/expected to attend these meetings. I was available and I genuinely did it to support my church. When it was all said and done a lengthy e-mail had been sent out thanking each individual that took part in making this event possible. As I was reading through the e-mail feeling quite good about myself and all that "I" had accomplished I noticed my name had not been mentioned. Now to someone who has lived their life for praise and pleasing people there was a moment of disbelief that I had not been noticed. But God gently reminded me of Luke 17:10 and ultimately I knew my motive was to serve God and to bring glory to him. I'd do it again in a heartbeat knowing God was truly glorified through my services.
Once God was sure that any spiritual pride left had been crushed out of me, He rewarded me. God is well aware of how we're wired and the little things that keep us going... The next day I happened to run into the pastor and he said, "Oh, by the way wanted to say thanks for all your hard work helping with the group fellowships." Honestly at that moment it wasn't about the pastor's recognition at all... I felt like God was smiling down from Heaven saying, "Just so you know, I did notice, thank you!"
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