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Seeking Approval

Luke 17:7-10
“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 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.”
We as humans are always seeking praise for the things that are expected of us, as if praise is due. As a bondservant of Christ, we are required to complete whatever is asked of us to our utmost capability and complete it without the need to be recognized because often times, we will not be. We are always seeking for the approval of others, anything that will feed our pride and make us seem as though we are better than we truly are. Of course, a pat on the back is always appreciated every once in a while, but when it becomes routine, we begin to do things simply for the reward that follows. However, when we quit doing things to be recognized and begin doing things for the Lord, we realize that His opinion is the only one that matters. That way, when people do not acknowledge us, we do not care because we are not doing it for them, we are doing it for Him. To be told as Matthew 20:23 says, “…Well done, good and faithful servant.” What recognition could be better than the One of Him who created us? Absolutely nothing. But more often times than not, we forget that we were not designed to rely on the praise received from others but from the praise received from Him. I know I am guilty of yearning for the approval of others and when I do not receive it, I become easily discouraged. Being easily discouraged, I then wonder why I do anything for anybody, forgetting that it is not about anyone else but Christ. 

Application
This week during servant time, I will thank the Lord that I am able to do His work for His glory. 

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