So also ye, when ye do all appointed you, say, That we are useless servants: for what we ought to do, we have done. Luke 17:10
“A monk must love God with all his heart and all his mind (cf. Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:30), and, as a servant, he must reverence and obey Him, and fulfill His commandments with ‘fear and trembling’ (Phil. 2:12). He must be ‘fervent in spirit’ (Rom. 12:11), and wear ‘the whole armor’ of the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph. 6:11). He must strive for the enjoyment of eternal life and do all that is prescribed. He must be in a state of inner wakefulness, guard his heart from evil thoughts, and through good thoughts must continually practice divine meditation. He must examine himself daily concerning his evil thoughts and acts, and must correct any defects. He must not become proud because of his achievements, but must call himself a ‘useless servant’ (Luke 17:10), altogether in arrears over fulfilling his duties. He must give thanks to God and ascribe to Him the grace of his achievements, and do nothing at all from self-esteem or love of popularity, but do everything in secret and seek praise only from God (cf. Rom. 2:29).”
Theodore of Edessa (d. 848) in Philokalia V2.36.
Do any traits of the monks stand out to you as areas for growth?
I really appreciated the disciple to describe yourself as a “useless servant” who has only done his duty of service. This keeps us humble.
To this point, at GTP we never, ever attached the word “leader” to people. Why?
Jesus Himself said, “And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.” Matthew 23:10. We get ourselves in trouble when we act like we are in charge.
Our lives do not belong to us (Gal. 2:20). Our resources do not belong to us. Every aspect of our being belongs to God. Any other mindset leads to pride and other problems.
Let us, in this light, live, give, serve, and love generously, not because we have any measure of wealth or worthiness when stacked next to God. Let us see ourselves rightly and do our duty.
We are useless servants whose only use comes when we surrender ourselves and resources to God.