When we have done all things well we should still consider ourselves to be God's unprofitable servants.

Tuesday, 11/11/14

Yesterday, Paul, opening his Letter to Titus, identified himself as a slave of the Lord. I suppose he would have applied to himself something Jesus said in today’s Gospel, namely, “When you have done all things that have been commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants.”

Paul considered himself to be God’s servant. What about us? Are we God’s servants?

I have a clear memory of a Seventh Grade girl protesting against the idea. She said, “My life is my own, I can do what I want with it, and I don’t like the Bible saying I can’t.”

As Christians how can we call ourselves our own bosses, when Jesus said, “I have not come to be served, but to serve.”

Have you ever heard the expression, “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord?” So, to start being wise, we should live in fear the Lord.

Alright, that word “fear” is a poor choice here. It evokes an image of trembling before a threat.

In his Chapter Eleven Isaiah listed the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as Wisdom. Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord.

So, if it is not trembling before a threat, what is the Fear of the Lord that behooves us?

For me it means living in a constant awareness of living in God’s presence. I think that is what Isaiah meant by Fear of the Lord, because he said that of all of God’s gifts the one that most delights him is Fear of the Lord.