Don’t Rest on Your Laurels

“So you also, when you have done everything commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done our duty.’”

— Luke 17:10

We need to forget our successes sometimes. Some of us are wonderful laurelsitters. We have been sitting on our laurels for years. We reach a certain level of accomplishment and are satisfied. That should not be.

I recall reading that one of Napoleon’s generals came to him and described a magnificent victory he had won in one of the campaigns. He described how they had brought the artillery up to just the right point and smashed the enemy. Having concluded a detailed narrative, he waited for Napoleon to commend him. There was a brief silence, and then Napoleon said to him, “Yes, and what did you do the next day?”

I think we need to hear those words because God is no doubt going to be asking us, “What did you do the next day?” What are you doing now for God? Are you resting on your laurels? We need to forget our successes. We need to have a holy discontent.

Sometimes we may be quite content and unconcerned about the advancement of the kingdom of God, but very discontented about the state we are in. We do not like the car we drive, the house we live in, the clothes we wear. We are envious of others—what they have, what jobs they hold, and what cars they drive. But we have it all backwards. There is a need for a holy discontent in the progress we have made in the kingdom of God.

Lord, give me strength for today to realize I do not need to be great in Your kingdom. I only wish to be Your servant. Neither do I wish to miss opportunities to serve and to grow and do great things for You…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE PRESS ON
IN THE WORK OF THE KINGDOM.