Naughty or Nice

When you have done all that you have been commanded to do say, "We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we are obliged to do." -Luke 17

As we prepare for Christmas we will see many advertisements about being on "Santa's Naughty or Nice List."  

I wonder if God has a similar list.  I pray every day.  I keep The Commandments.  I go to church every week.  I treat my neighbor well.  So I must be on God's good list, right?  And I should get special privileges because of it just like good children get presents at Christmas.  I wonder what God will bring me?

Today's Gospel tells us we are God's servants.  Praying, worshiping, and following the Commandments are what we are supposed to do.  We don't get special benefits just for doing what you are expected to do.  That's not how this works.

Serving the Lord does not entitle us to special rewards.  By realizing that following Jesus we can become more open to His graces and we become more ready to realize how the Lord can work through us to become the person He created us to be.

We shouldn't expect God to look at us any different than any of his other creations, He loves us all.  By realizing we are only doing what He expects of us does not make any of us better than anyone else.  

till, I'd rather be on God's nice list, and not on the naughty one.