Unprofitable Servants
When it comes to living a righteous life, there are two factors. The first part of righteousness is avoiding sins of commission. Those sins are when we do the wrong things. The other part of living righteously is not committing sins of omission. That means we don't neglect to do the things we are commanded to do. If a person can put both of those aspects together, it is possible to live a life that is "fairly" pleasing to the Lord. However, it is not the ultimate even then.
Look at what Jesus says in Luke 17:10. "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty." Do you see the point Jesus was making? The ultimate in living the Christian life is to go beyond what we are commanded to do. Then, we are living a profitable life. We more than break even on the righteousness quotient.
Now, we might say that Jesus is being unfair. Most Christians find it impossible to refrain from obvious sins, and they definitely don't do everything God commands them to do. Therefore, why should they even strive to be a profitable servant, if that is what it takes? That is the wrong take on this verse. Jesus is challenging us to set the bar as high as possible toward His righteousness. If not, we will fall terribly short of His example. He knows that if we trust Him explicitly, we can do anything. The reason we fall short is that we don't really hate sins of commission, and we don't really love His commands. If we did, it would be a simple task to go the extra mile to do more than we are commanded.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 10-12.
Look at what Jesus says in Luke 17:10. "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty." Do you see the point Jesus was making? The ultimate in living the Christian life is to go beyond what we are commanded to do. Then, we are living a profitable life. We more than break even on the righteousness quotient.
Now, we might say that Jesus is being unfair. Most Christians find it impossible to refrain from obvious sins, and they definitely don't do everything God commands them to do. Therefore, why should they even strive to be a profitable servant, if that is what it takes? That is the wrong take on this verse. Jesus is challenging us to set the bar as high as possible toward His righteousness. If not, we will fall terribly short of His example. He knows that if we trust Him explicitly, we can do anything. The reason we fall short is that we don't really hate sins of commission, and we don't really love His commands. If we did, it would be a simple task to go the extra mile to do more than we are commanded.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 10-12.