Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh; and he said, “Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far? This was a small thing in your eyes, O God, but you have spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have respected me according to the standard of a man of high degree, Yahweh God. What can David say yet more to you concerning the honor which is done to your servant? For you know your servant. Yahweh, for your servant’s sake, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things. Yahweh, there is no one like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. What one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make you a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before your people whom you redeemed out of Egypt? For you made your people Israel your own people forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God. Now, Yahweh, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as you have spoken. Let your name be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘Yahweh of Armies is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel. The house of David your servant is established before you.’ For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you. Now, Yahweh, you are God, and have promised this good thing to your servant. Now it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, Yahweh, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.””
(1 Chronicles 17:16-27)

“The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table’? Wouldn’t he rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’””
(Luke 17:6-10)

David knew who he was and he knew who God was. David never lost that perspective. He was OVERWHELMED with thanksgiving when God told him what God was going to do. David didn’t deserve a dynasty. He didn’t deserve the blessings of God. He was nothing. A no one. God took him and lifted him up because David loved God and served Him. It wasn’t the servants choice to be honoured. It was the master’s choice to honour His faithful servant. David never expected it, but David was grateful for it.

Servants shouldn’t expect special treatment. They’re servants. They’re not special. They have a job to do and the job is expected to be done. That is who we are in the kingdom. We are God’s servants. None of us should be putting ourselves forward. None of us should be claiming we are special. None of us should be looking down on anyone else. We are ALL of us servants of God. We are ALL fighting the fight. We are ALL doing the work. We are ALL serving the One worthy of serving. We are doing our duty and expecting no special rewards or benefits or anything, because we’re doing what we are supposed to be doing. The heart of a servant is to serve for the sake of the service itself, not to get special rewards.

Summary

God blesses us for our service WITHOUT making our ego inflate. We are MORE than servants, but FRIENDS (John 15:15). But our HEARTS should be for service. Jesus served. Jesus told us to serve. And He told us to serve for the sake of serving, not to get special recognition and performance pats on the back. Paul identified himself as a servant of Jesus. He accomplished a LOT, but he was humble through all of it. He didn’t think anything he did was all that hot stuff (Philippians 3:8). For Paul it wasn’t about HIMSELF, but Jesus. It was the Jesus in him and the Jesus in you and the Jesus in me that was – and should be – the focus. We are not self SERVING. We are self SACRIFICING (Matthew 16:24). We do what we do for God, not for personal glory.