By: Obed Pineda
On a flight to the United States from overseas, a husband and his wife were sitting at the rear of the airplane, returning home from a months long missionary trip that had been arduous, but fruitful. Boarded on that same flight, at the front, was an internationally famous artist who had sought to hide in plain sight among the passengers from the public eye, seeking peace and privacy. Unfortunately, a fan had already spotted him mounting the plane and notified the press of the time and location of his arrival. The couple, on the other hand, had personally called their brethren days in advance, providing them with the same information because they were excited to reunite and rejoice with their fellow saints, anxious to share with them the fantastic news about their trip. When the plane landed and the travelers dismounted, they were met with an enormous crowd, loudly cheering and welcoming the unsuspecting star with signs, cameras, and flowers. The mob surrounded the celebrity, zealously showering him with adulation, and followed him every step of his way. The evangelistic couple curiously observed the artist’s unexpected reception, especially when they noticed that none of their brothers or sisters, whom they had called days prior, had arrived to the airport to warmly greet them back home. Noticing that her beloved had been perturbed because they had been forgotten and slighted by their fellow brethren, she lovingly took his hand in hers and gently reminded him, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10). The potency that these sacred words have to heal the heart wounded by human ingratitude is extraordinary. In His infinite wisdom that comes from above, our Lord and Savior neutralized the perils of vainglory and discouragement with this simple, yet profound, response to His twelve’s request (Luke 17:5). It would be naive to believe that anyone fully devoted to serving the kingdom of God would not be disillusioned if he is forgotten or ignored by his co-servants. Even the great apostle to the Gentiles once lamented to his son in the faith, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them” (2nd Timothy 4:16, emphasis added). However, Paul immediately cures his dejection as he fondly remembers, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion” (2nd Timothy 4:17, emphasis added). Paul’s affirmation that the Lord did not abandon him both illustrates and expands the importance of comprehending what being an unprofitable servant of God is. Although it pained Paul that he had been deserted by everyone, he never lost sight of Whom it was he served. In fact, in almost every one of his inspired epistles, Paul always commenced his letter by introducing himself as one in service of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1, 1st Corinthians 1:1, 2nd Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:1, 1st Timothy 1:1, 2nd Timothy 1:1, Titus 1:1, and Philemon 1:1). The motive behind this magnificent introduction was to establish that he was the carrier of the message he was about to impart; not the progenitor of it. It was so that his readers would understand that (as he beautifully declared to the Galatians) he was “an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead)” (Galatians 1:1, emphasis added). He elaborates upon his introductory expression by pointedly stating, “For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10b, emphasis added). Paul was aware that he preached the Gospel of Christ to please God, whom he served, and not man who on many occasions will be offended by the Gospel. Paul had acquiesced to Christ’s will, accepting that he was “a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16, emphasis added). Even though Jesus explained to Ananias that Paul would suffer greatly for His name’s sake, for the apostle being chosen for this ministry was a “mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (1st Timothy 1:16, emphasis added). Having previously been a blasphemer and persecutor of the Church, Paul recognized that he deserved death for his treason against God. Instead, he was pardoned with a lesser punishment that offered a merciful opportunity to atone for his spiritual crime. Paul understood that there was no way possible to pay the insurmountable debt Christ had forgiven him, thus he willing pledged his life over to Him. Ergo why the apostle assured the Ephesian elders at Miletus “none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24, emphasis added). Apart from having gratefully accepted his place as a bondservant of Christ, the apostle Paul remained motivated as well by being “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1st Corinthians 15:58, emphasis added). In addition to staying focused on Whom he served, the apostle also concentrated on the fact that “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, emphasis added). Remember that Paul had validated that even though man forsook him, Christ remained with him and delivered him from his predicament. This revelation of the Lord saving him from his troubles, restrengthened his powerful assertion that “the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord know those who are His’” (2nd Timothy 2:19a, emphasis added). Even though man is commonly ungrateful, God never is. This fabulous, irrefutable truth is what consoled and encouraged the abandoned apostle to continue in the service of the Almighty King. The unrighteous ingratitude that Paul many times endured from his beloved brethren, was quickly healed by the “hope of eternal life which God, Who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2, emphasis added). This precious, eternal promise made by the holy Creator of this world for Whom nothing is impossible, galvanized the apostle to the Gentiles to continue to press toward the prize, even if it meant doing so alone. He knew too well that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2nd Corinthians 4:17, emphasis added). May it always be true when we sing that exquisite hymn that boldly declares, “Tho’ none go with me I still will follow, No turning back, No turning back” (Songs of the Church, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” pg. 299, stanza II).