v. 35-39 Jesus warns about His second coming. "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." Last year was a year full of talk about the end of the world. I remember a preacher in the US who said he knew when the end was, that day came and went just like any other. The bible says that not even the angels know the day or hour when Jesus will come so why do we think we know? Answer: the devil. The problem with setting a date is that after that day then you look just like one of those crazy Christians and that is not good for the Kingdom. The point of this passage is to be ready at all times. We do not know when the end will come, but we are to be prepared all the same.
This reminds me of the story of the grasshopper and the ant. The ants were getting ready for winter by storing up food in the fall and the grasshopper was just had fun not worrying about anything. When winter came the grasshopper begged the ant for food and was denied because they had to make sure all the ants were going to have food for the long winter. The grasshopper missed out because he chose not to be ready for what was going to happen anyway.
People who have a true love of God are willing to do the following: be sincere, ready to witness, are trusting, very generous, and diligent. We are to do these things now, there is no need to wait. Much of our reward will be in heaven. If it were instantly given our reward here on earth then don't you think it would go straight to our heads? We would start to think it was all us and slowly push God aside.
v. 41-48 The disciples asked if the parable was only for them. Jesus responded "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 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. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
No matter what you are in charge of whether it is a large company or a home, we are held accountable for our actions. The more responsibility we have the more that is expected of us. Especially those who are supposed to be representing God. This blog and my writing are my ministry, I will be held accountable for what I say and I take that very serious. I want to share God's word around the world so I better be doing a good job of sharing the bible. Don't think that just because you aren't in a position at a church that you don't have a ministry. God has placed people in every job imaginable around the world and they have a ministry. What ever you are passionate about is probably your ministry. You may love to bake and share food with people, volunteer your time at an animal shelter, rock babies who have no mom or dad, teach your children about the bible, etc. You see we all have been given gifts and responsibility that we are supposed to be using right now.
"God will not hold us responsible for gifts that He did not give us." NIV notes
Although we will be held accountable for the things we should have done while here. No position is too small in the kingdom, all are equally important. Big time mega preacher is the same as the cleaning lady at the office. Because if you are representing God correctly to those around you then you are doing exactly what God wants you to do.
I know that the sentence "He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers" seems harsh yet there is a battle going on all around us. This is the longest war in history that will one day be resolved. I know that if you do not know much about the bible then things sometimes come across as harsh. God is love, however this has eternal consequences that God takes very seriously. The entire bible is full of people just like us and the choices they have made. It shows the rewards or consequences based on their decisions. God wants us to choose Him because the alternative is pure darkness and pain. After suffering for many years at the hand of the enemy I would not want to choose to join him for all of eternity.
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