serving the Master

As we go about serving our Lord and Master, I wonder what kind of servants we are, or at least I wonder about myself.

Are we like the younger brother in Jesus' story of the prodigal sons in Luke 15, serving to serve ourselves, looking either for some big payout from the Father at the end or perhaps along the way?  We're seeing lots of former servants of The Master who are checking out of serving Him in order to find a servant-master god of their own liking.  Is a self-serving attitude leading us to follow in their steps?

Or are we like the elder brother, serving with resentment, as if we're slaves of a hard Master Who reaps where He didn't sow, at our expense, and doesn't really give us anything?  Ours is a culture of bitterness, clearly seen in our politics, of a kind that has drawn many sweet servants into resentful anger.  Is there a root of bitterness in us that will cause many around us to be defiled?

Or perhaps we serve more like Martha of Luke 10, serving sincerely but with a whole lot of troubled anxiety about many things.  We live in an age of anxiety, in which so many small things take on monumental proportions, even in the service of a gentle and kind Master.  Are we harboring anxiety about the things of God in a way that prevents us from enjoying the Company of God and His People?

Or maybe, by the Grace of our Master, we're becoming like Mary, Who loved and served her Master with grateful generosity, particularly by sitting at His Feet.  Perhaps at this moment, we can hear Him saying to us, "Choose the Good Portion, choose Me in all your serving, for I am a Master Who is not only grateful for your service but also eager to serve you with my Grace and Peace.

I see myself in all of these servants, but I am becoming more like the one with the Better Part.  How about you?