St. Luke 17: 1 – 10

August 12, 2022

Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

I taught Sunday school for a couple of years – until those families had moved away and there were no children left to teach. In the schoolroom closet was an assortment of broken toys, toys with missing pieces, dirty toys and I wondered that anyone had decided to keep these things but it also caused me to wonder why it is that when people give things to the church, the items are more likely to be less than pristine than not.

I sponsored and hosted an auction at church. I asked that donations be new or gently used and advised that if the donated items didn’t sell, the donors should be prepared to take their items home with them. Then I got calls from people who wanted to donate used furniture (!) but didn’t want to have to bring them back home – surely the church could dispose of them. Umm – no.

“Do all things to the glory of God” (1Cor 10:31). Verse 10, above, is along that same line – doing the minimum is simply doing ‘that which was our duty to do’. We are called to more in our tithes, offerings, charity, love …

1Chronicles 29:14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” God has given us so much, surely we can give back to Him in our best human measure. Just sayin’ …