We know to serve God without expecting compensation

“We are useless servants; We did what we had to do ” (Luke 17, 10).

19778287871_8dccee02d2_zThere is a mercantilist mentality that often guides human actions and is present even in the way we relate to God.

We want to be rewarded, we want you to give us a return, because we work for him, because He is served, because we went to church and because we seek to be good and generous.

Kindness is a reward; be good, be in God, it’s a sublime grace. We can’t do things with the expectation of receiving something in return. Some people want to do trade with God: ‘ I can do it, if God gives me that. I’m going to commit, because God will give me that! ‘.

God already gives to us, it’s sublime in His generosity toward us. He was the one who gave us life, He allows us to live every day if we are moved by humility, God gives us the grace more sublime to savor his presence in every thing, in every situation in which we live. It can be in the pain, the suffering, the tribulations, the difficulties and the things that don’t work out.

We can’t have the mentality, the thought that we will be free from this and that, that we’re not going to have disease, that we will no experience difficulties, because we serve the God. Sometimes, you spend the whole time serving him, but, when it comes to a painful point that passes by or some tribulation and hardship, we turn to God and say, “Lord, I serve my whole life, I’ve always been at your disposal, I’ve always been faithful to you. And this is what I get in return? Is that what you give me? “.

Some talk as if God sent us a punishment, an ordeal, a deprivation; as if he was taking all from us. Even if the Lord allows us to go through any trouble in this life, it is an opportunity to say to ourselves that we don’t serve to God for what he gives us.

We serve the Lord for what he is: always good, always Father and always grace! We don’t have anything, however, we’re not going to expect retribution from God for having nothing to offer, but we can be thankful from the heart, to be his children, everything else is extra.

What is essential is that we are children of God and we need to live as such: live the grace to serve with dedication and commitment; not to be moved by the mentality that we need to be compensated by God.

God is good and completely good! May He bless you!

Fr. Roger Araujo

Canção Nova [New Song] community priest, journalist and collaborator of the Canção Nova Portal.

Portuguese version