Matthew 24: Signs of His Coming (6)
Pray Psalm 142.5, 6.
I cried out to You, O LORD:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
Sing Psalm 142.5, 6.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
Hear my cry, LORD, I am low! They are strong who seek my soul.
Jesus frees from every foe; He will keep and make me whole!
Refrain
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song.
Read Matthew 24.1-51; meditate on verses 45-51.
What kind of “serving” do Jesus’ servants do?
Prepare.
1. Over what is the faithful servant master?
2. What’s the difference between a faithful servant and an unfaithful servant?
Meditate.
Jesus invites us to consider whether we are “faithful and wise” servants. How can we know?
First, do we accept that God has charged us with ruling over a sector of His “household” (v. 45)? The word for household (Greek, οἰκετεία, oiketeia) is related to the Greek word for “economy”, which is sometimes also translated “household.” God has established a new economy in these latter days, comprised of many households where His servants are called to seek His Kingdom and righteousness, and bring His rule to bear on earth as it is in heaven. Each of us has a “household” over which God has appointed us as servants to further the righteousness, peace, and joy of His rule (Rom. 14.17, 18).
Second, in that household, we are called to serve. Following the example of Jesus, we seek opportunities to bring the grace of the Kingdom to bear on the lives of those to whom He sends us each day (Jn. 20.21). Jesus used the image of preparing and serving food to stand for the ministry of service generally. We are Jesus’ servants in our Personal Mission Field.
Finally, do we live and serve as if we expect to be held accountable by the Lord upon His return (vv. 46, 50, 51)? Faithful and wise servants want every moment the Lord gives them to be invested for His Kingdom and glory (Eph. 5.15-17; 1 Thess. 2.12). They long to hear “Well done” when He returns, and they do their work cheerfully, in expectation of knowing the Lord’s pleasure.
We don’t know when Jesus will return; but we can be sure that He will. Pray and work that He may see you as a faithful and wise servant, preparing diligently to enter into His eternal Presence and pleasure.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
When I was but a child, I recall my parents saying upon the death of a dear friend,
“The step for them from here to heaven was not a shock to that person’s soul,
as they were so close to Jesus here, that the step was not a big one there.”
Kingdom living has a safe perimeter in which we are to live (Ex. 20.1-17; Matt. 22.37-40).
God’s Law keeps us safely within the bounds where His love can reach and bless us (Jude 21 TLB).
Keeping God’s Law,
and growing in love and obedience to Him,
strengthens us for the days of tribulation and trials that we will experience (Matt. 24.4-12).
Strengthened, we will “endure to the end and be saved” (Matt. 24.13).
“Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
that I may declare all Your works” (Ps. 73.25-28).
Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14.15).
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (Jn. 15.14).
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love,
just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you,
and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15.10, 11).
“If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!” (1 Cor. 16.22).
Who then is the faithful and wise servant?
The one who does what His Master commands (Matt. 24.45, 46).
“Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14).
“The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there are any who understand, who seek God” (Ps. 14.2).
Seek Him. Seek to understand His ways. Seek to please Him.
Be a faithful and pleasing servant. For heaven’s sake and yours.
Reflect.
1. How does the word “serve” apply to you in your Personal Mission Field?
2. What would you say are the keys to being faithful in serving others?
3. Can you improve in serving others and thus in serving the Lord? In what ways?
One is faithful who has been a good steward of his Lord’s goods, not stealing from the Lord, not spending without aim or fruit. One is wise who knows how to dispense the things given him in a fitting way. Indeed, we have need of both these things together, faithfulness and wisdom, and these in conjunction. We are called to exercise our stewardship in a fitting manner, spending carefully. John Chrysostom (34-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 77.3
Pray Psalm 142.1-4, 7.
Commit your day to the Lord, to serve the people to whom He sends you, and to praise and thank Him for your calling.
Sing Psalm 142.1-4, 7.
Psalm 142.1-4, 7 (Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
With my voice, O LORD, I cry—hear my plea for mercy, LORD!
My complaint mounts up on high, bringing You my troubled word:
Refrain vv. 5, 6
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song!
When my spirit faints away, You my falt’ring pathway know;
where I take my journey they traps have hidden to my woe.
Refrain
LORD, look to my right and see: None takes notice of my plight.
Is there refuge left for me? Is my soul out of Your sight?
Refrain
Out of prison lead me, LORD; thanks and praise to You shall be.
Righteous men armed with Your Word Will Your grace bestow on me.
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues on St. Patrick from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column continues our new study of “Everyday Christianity”. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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