trusted online casino malaysia
Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
The Scriptorium

Faithful Servants

This is our calling. Luke 12.35-48

Luke 12 (5)

Pray Psalm 123.1, 2.
Unto You I lift up my eyes,
O You who dwell in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the LORD our God,
Until He has mercy on us.

Sing Psalm 123.1, 2.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King)
To You we lift our eyes, O God enthroned above!
With longing gaze and heaving sighs we plead Your love!
Refrain v. 2
We look to You! Have mercy, Lord,
upon us by Your sovereign Word.

Read Luke 12.1-48; meditate on verses 35-48.


Preparation

1. How did Jesus describe our calling as His disciples?

2. What is the goal of this calling?

Meditation
In his “unspoken sermon”, “The Child in the Midst”, George MacDonald wrote concerning life in Jesus, “It was to be no more who should rule, but who should serve; no more who should look down upon his fellows from the conquered heights of authority—even of sacred authority, but who should look up honouring humanity, and ministering unto it, so that humanity itself might at length be persuaded of its own honour as a temple of the living God.”

Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Mk. 10.45). This is the life He has appointed for us as well. We serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today! And this fact directs and determines everything we do each day. Every day we tie on our apron and light our light (v. 35), advertising to one and all that we are open for business. And our business is to serve – to care for, encourage, and help others as Jesus does every day for us. We must be attentive to the people around us and their needs and concerns (v. 37), knowing that our Lord is coming again soon, and we will have to give an accounting.

The goal of our service is to edify and encourage others (v. 42), not to see how we can get them to do something for us, or to take advantage of others for our own interests (vv. 45, 46). We must prepare well every day, thinking and planning with respect to the people we will see, readying our souls for service in the Name of the Lord and according to His will (vv. 47, 48). God has given each of us as His servants much – time, strength, abilities and gifts, resources and opportunities. He expects us to invest these wisely so that, through our faithful service to others, His grace will flow far and wide (2 Cor. 4.15).

Jesus rules. Our calling is to serve.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
And if our “calling is to serve”, then serve we must!

Peter, always ready with a question to avert attention from his responsibilities to the culpability of another, asked this: “Lord, do you speak this parable only to us, or to all people?” (Lk. 12.41)

And Jesus, always ready with a loving, albeit pointed, response answered thus: “That servant [Peter and the other disciples] who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know [all other people], yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone [again, Peter and the disciples] to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed [yikes—again, Peter and the disciples], of him they will ask the more” (Lk. 12.47, 48). So, Peter, any more questions?

But here’s the deal: We are equally as well informed as Peter. Dare we quibble about the same?

Jesus says to us: Be ready. Work hard day and night. Wait. Watch for My return. When I knock, open the door, and welcome Me immediately. “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Lk. 12.40). “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3.20).

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4.2).
“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;
wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Ps. 27.14).
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him…” (Ps. 37.7).
“To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb. 9.28).

Let Him find us as faithful servants—waiting, watching, working—because we know of His return. Much has been committed to us; therefore, much is required.

“…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15.52).

Be ready!

For reflection

1. What is involved in being a faithful servant?

2. How does the idea of judgment factor into the Good News of the Kingdom?

3. What are the keys to being a faithful servant each day?

Christ is our Master, and we are his servants; not only working servants, but waiting servants. We must be as men that wait for their Lord, that sit up while he stays out late, to be ready to receive him. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 12.22-40

Pray Psalm 123.2-4.
Seek the Lord for guidance in serving the people you will be with today. Pray for specific people and their needs, and wait on the Lord to show you how you can serve them for His sake.

Sing Psalm 123.2-4.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King)
As servants strain to see their earthly lord’s command,
so we would in Your Presence be and firmly stand!
Refrain v. 2
We look to You! Have mercy, Lord,
upon us by Your sovereign Word.


Have mercy, Lord, we pray; our souls are weary, worn.
The wicked world condemns our way and heaps up scorn.
Refrain

Our souls are sore oppressed by this world’s ease and pride.
In You we would be healed and blessed, and in You hide.
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can download all the studies in our Luke series by clicking here.

If you find Scriptorium helpful in your walk with the Lord, please seek the Lord, asking Him whether you should contribute to the support of this daily ministry with your financial gifts. As the Lord leads, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by
clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

Subscribe to Ailbe Newsletters

Sign up to receive our email newsletters and read columns about revival, renewal, and awakening built upon prayer, sharing, and mutual edification.