Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” (Psalm 16:1-2)
In the previous devotion we discussed how, apart from God, our talents and positive attributes are unable to render blessing and prosperity, at least not in the way that God intends for us. As David said, “my goodness is nothing apart from You.” Now, let’s look at the issue from a slightly different perspective, one that is discussed in rabbinical commentary. The Hebrew phrasing could be literally rendered to say, “My good is not upon you” meaning that God is not obligated to do good for us — anything He does for us is according to His mercy and lovingkindness.
In his humility, David acknowledges, on behalf of us all, that we should take no credit for our good deeds — without God, we can do nothing. Furthermore, while we are obligated to serve God as our Master, He is under no obligation to bestow any benefits upon us. We are not deserving of a reward and should serve Him not expecting such. In other words, we are not to be those who serve only because we expect something in return. That being said, because He is abundant in goodness, because He is merciful and kind, He chooses to bless and prosper those who serve Him with a willing and humble heart.
In the Bible there is a clear distinction between those who are servants and those who are mere hirelings. A servant is dedicated to God because he loves Him and wishes to please Him but a hireling is there for the reward; a hireling cares nothing for what is important to the Master and will flee at the first sight of trouble. Obviously, we are not to be this type of person but those who will gladly serve God in spite of their circumstances and whether or not, in this life, we see any reward. However, there will come a day when the Father in Heaven will reward each according to his works. So then, looking ahead, let us do what is pleasing in His sight, serve Him with gladness and produce works that glorify our Father in Heaven.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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