Look at what I did! – October 7, 2022

Read: Luke 17:1-10

So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”
Luke 17:10

Look at what I did!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Little Danielle loved caramels. So her parents used the candy as a reward for successfully finishing a chore. After she put away all her clothes, she would run to tell her parents, “Look at what I did!” Then she would hold out her hand and wait for her caramel.

Now, what if I told you that when Danielle turned 16 years old, she still ran and told her parents “Look at what I did” every time she finished a chore and then waited for a caramel. That would be ridiculous, right?

A caramel reward was important when Danielle was a toddler, but not when she is a teenager. As Danielle grew older, she learned how to do more and more things on her own. It is the same for us as we grow in our faith. God gives us parents and spiritual leaders who patiently teach us about Jesus and what life looks like with him in it. As we grow older, we strive to live a godly life—not to get some sort of reward from God. We’re older now and just want to show our love for Jesus in all that we do.

We see all that God has done for us—he loves us, he lived for us, he died in our place, he forgives our sin, he gives us eternal life, he is with us each and every day, and so much more!

We can easily say that God doesn’t owe us anything. (Look at what he has done for us!) So what we do, we do as a way of saying thank you to God. We don’t look for special rewards or blessings from God for what we do—we do them because of what God has done for us—saved us, brought us to faith, and made us a part of his family.

Caramels are delicious, but they aren’t why we live a Christian life, are they? Live who you are—a loved, forgiven child of God—not as a way for others to see what you do or to have God owe you something. Live your Christian life as a way to say “Thank you” and “I love you” to your gracious God.

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, please help me to see my life as something I do, not to get something from you, but as a way of saying thank you for all you have done for me. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Have you ever gotten a reward for doing something? What was it?
• What is the best thing God has done for you?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Can you think of an example at school where you get something because of what you have done?
• How is our connection with Jesus different than that?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• How does thinking that God should do something for me because of what I have done for him change our relationship with God?
• How does living a Christian life show our love and thankfulness to God?