Be Faithful and Wise
We’ve seen Jesus’ words in Luke 12 about being ready for him to come back, and then Peter asks him “Lord are you telling this parable to us, or everyone?” And Jesus replies by saying this in v42-44:
“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. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” (Luke 12:42–44 NIV11)
And then right at the end of the passage, Jesus says “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.” (Luke 12:48 NIV11)
This is important, because there are some Christians who think that since Jesus is coming soon, we best lock ourselves away and sit and wait for him. And Jesus is saying to us, “don’t just sit around. Get to work! You have a responsibility to not just wait for me, but to work for me faithfully and with wisdom.”
Living Out God's Love: Embracing Responsibility and Good Works
Again we see Jesus using the phrase “it will be good”, but this time he is applying it to those who are busy working for Him when He returns. He wants to find His people doing good works in this world, in fact according to verse 48 He demands it from us. Now that is a hard word for some of us to swallow. It sounds a bit too forced in our minds. But it’s true, and it reminds me of the words of a classic hymn that says:
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all!
The love Jesus showed on the cross, it is free for us to receive by faith. But it certainly demands something from us once we’ve accepted it, because we realize that His free gift of love and forgiveness was bought at an unspeakably high price, and we want more people to know this, and so we give our lives to spread the message however we can.
Here’s the truth: God has given us each certain responsibilities. Think about your family life and your work life. You have a certain responsibility in these two areas – to do good in certain ways, to care for people in certain ways, to create and sustain and help in many ways. God has placed you where you are with the responsibility to be His representative there.
How faithful are you being? How wise are you being? Are you playing these roles in a God-honouring way, excelling and growing and bringing value, shining Christ into the situation? Are you doing what you do well and with passion, caring for the people in your environment and consistently doing what God has called you to do?
Rise to Potential: Embracing Faithfulness and Readiness
Or have you been a bit slack, a bit selfish, a bit unfaithful?
I’m not trying to judge anybody here. But sometimes we all need a wake-up call. And Jesus’ words can be a wake-up call today. Be faithful and wise as you live your life for Him, don’t be caught slacking off. He made you with such potential, if you will just live it!
And Jesus says the more faithful you are, the more responsibility you get – and this doesn’t mean He’s going to pile more work on your shoulders and make you burn out, but it means He is going to achieve more through you the more you honour Him.
It will be good for you, Jesus says, if He returns and finds you fulfilling your calling. Quit stalling. Quit procrastinating. Quit moping. Do what He’s calling you to do, at home, at work, and everywhere, and be ready for His coming.
