S75P9 – A tour through Matthew 24: the proving ground
Matt. 24:45-47
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
It never occurred to me that it had been a test all along. We got our allowance just like many of the other kids in the neighborhood. The dollar I was handed every Friday might have been less than everyone else, but it was something I looked forward to every week. The only problem was that my dollar never lasted very long. It always seemed to be gone from my pocket almost immediately after it had found its way there. Maybe I was the kind of kid who felt deprived, but that money would be earmarked before I even received it. Never one to think to save my dollars for something grand, Friday’s allowance would be spent on candy or ice cream by the end of Saturday. No wonder my parents were hesitant to give me more than that tiny sum.
God wants to set his people, his servants, up on high. Scripture gives us many illustrations to drive home the metaphor of the last of us being elevated to the position of being first. It is a question of who will decide to take advantage of his own free will to try to place himself on high instead of waiting for God to do it. The good steward will walk humbly in this life and serve others as being better than himself. The good steward will not focus on power and position in this world knowing that those things will pass away in time. God is looking for good stewards who will show in this life that they can be trusted with great responsibility, and those are the ones He will elevate at the time of the Son’s return. If we cannot be trusted to lead like Jesus now, He will not put us in a position of leadership then.
If we are to spend our time seeking favor, let it be favor with God. Let us pursue that not for our pleasure or satisfaction but for his. I think today about how proud my parents might have been had I, at the age of eight, realized the value of being more responsible with that dollar. I think of how proud I would be if my son or daughter would catch on to the lesson and develop that responsibility. God wants us to understand the value in learning how to care for that which belongs to him because He wants to trust us to do that more and more. If we are faithful with a little now, He will open the opportunity for us to show our faithfulness with so much more then. Father, make us a people who desire to honor You today by being faithful to care for even the smallest of things You entrust to us.