THE SLAVING SYNDROME
“but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’” “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.”
Luke 15:29-31 (NLT)
If serving God and loving others feels more like a chore rather than a privilege, you might be living like a slave. The older brother might be the most tragic figure in Jesus' parable because he was lost while standing in his own backyard. He didn't squander his inheritance on wild living; he stayed. He worked. He obeyed. For him, the problem was that he didn’t see himself as a son—he saw himself as a slave.
The Slaving Syndrome occurs when our relationship with God shifts from delight to debt. It’s the subtle belief that our relationship with the Father is earned by doing good things rather than by simply receiving His love. To a slave, a father’s house is a workplace; to a son, it’s a home. Because the older brother viewed his relationship through the lens of performance, he couldn't celebrate when his brother came home. After all, his brother had done some really bad stuff!
The Father’s response is one of the most tender lines in Scripture: My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours (verse 31 from the NIV). The cure for the Slaving Syndrome is remembering that we don't work for God’s love; we work from it. You aren't an employee trying to earn a bonus; you are an heir invited to a feast.
APPLICATION: Identify one area of your life where service feels like a heavy obligation, and consciously shift your focus from completing a task to spending time with the Father. Ask God to help you trade the exhausting mindset of a hired hand for the secure confidence of a beloved child.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for being a Dad who wants me no matter what I’ve done, good or bad. Soften my heart today, wash away my resentment toward You and others, and help me rest in the truth that I am already fully loved by You. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?