Exalt the humble and serve them.
Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14
Jesus isn’t saying we shouldn’t seek reward for our actions. He is saying we should seek reward in eternity rather than in the “here and now.” He is saying we should seek reward that is truly valuable because it endures rather than deceptive and temporal reward. It is a sign of maturity and wisdom to understand delayed gratification. God is concerned to exalt the humble and to serve and bless them. He asks us to do the same. He sacrificed His very life to serve others, including us. He sends us to do the same, to live a life of sacrificial service. He will reward His children who live in that way. Do not be deceived, there are degrees of reward in heaven. That is a clear teaching in Scripture and the subject of several of Jesus’ parables. Aspire to please God and hear Jesus say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant.”
