Monday 1 October, 2018

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This passage is part of a larger discourse and is known as the ‘Parable of the Faithful Servant’.

The parable is directed at those in positions of leadership and responsibility in God’s kingdom and simply asks the question ‘who does God consider faithful in their duties’?

I love the Message Bible’s answer to this question. ‘someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job’.

So, what are these duties?

To be a good ‘servant leader’ and serve the people you are responsible for.

There are some clues to ‘servant leadership’ in this passage. Providing resources in a timely fashion, meeting others needs before your own. Being consistent in your actions when you are ‘not being’ watched and most importantly treating people with respect.

The truth is, we are not all in recognised church leadership but we all have a duty to lead others by example.

Are we demonstrating kindness, respect, timeliness in our actions and a preparedness to put others first without the need for recognition?

So, I consider today, what example am I setting?

Lord, reveal to us today how we can better serve those around us.

Amen!

Written by David Newton