Matthew 24:45-46

Matthew 24:45-46

Thoughts from Alex Morse

Dive Deeper

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“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in the household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

Matthew 24:45-46

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The theme this week is the spiritual fruit of faithfulness. A faithful person is one whom you can trust to do the right thing in a specific circumstance. A faithful person is also one whom you can trust to do the right thing over a long period of time. We can trust God to be faithful because that is who He is. He will always do the right thing. As followers of Christ, we are called to be faithful as well.

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As imperfect beings, we must depend on God’s Spirit living inside us to help us be faithful like Jesus was faithful to the Father. Once we say yes to Jesus, we serve him in God’s kingdom, and He calls us to be faithful disciples. Today’s verses help give us a word picture of what such faithfulness looks like.

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Matthew wrote this gospel to Jewish believers, urging them to follow Jesus Christ. In this part of the story, Jesus has entered Jerusalem and is preparing to meet his death on the cross. He uses this time to teach his disciples about his coming death and eventual return. In the section that contains these verses, he explains that no one will know the time of his return. He urges believers to be ready, to be faithful to his teaching, so that he will not find them living disobediently when he reappears.

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This return is often referred to as the second coming of Jesus. After Jesus’s death and resurrection, he spent forty days appearing to various people. On the fortieth day, his disciples saw Jesus ascend to heaven. As you can imagine, this was an awesome sight for the apostles, so they stood around staring into the sky not knowing what to do next. Angels came down and reminded them that Jesus would return to earth one day in the same way he ascended. In the meantime, they had work to do. And as believers and followers of Jesus, so do we.

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Jesus is a great teacher and he often used examples called parables to illustrate and reinforce the truths he taught. Today’s verses are part of a parable called the wise and faithful servant. Jesus compares himself to the head of a household who leaves on a trip. He entrusts the running of his household to one of his trusted servants while he is gone.

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The servant is expected to care for the household and the other servants. The servant does not know when the head of household will return, so the servant must be faithful. When Jesus returns, he wants to find us faithful and living as his disciples, caring for his kingdom and the people in it. He does not want us to be living selfishly, pursuing our own agenda and ignoring the needs of others, the church, or our communities.

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It is important to point out that we do not earn our salvation, or our eternal life with God, by being faithful. Salvation is God’s gift to us and only Jesus can give us that by his death and resurrection. However, we are called to be faithful servants until Jesus returns. Like a good servant in a household, Jesus will reward us based on our faithfulness. If we are faithful with the responsibilities God gives us, he will give us many rewards. If we are not faithful, we still live with God, but we will not have the pleasure of Jesus saying to us ‘well done!’

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Does this cause you anxiety? Jesus doesn’t want us to live in fear! None of us can be faithful without God’s help. The good news is that God’s Spirit is here to help us. It’s never too late to start living faithfully. It’s never too late to live a life pleasing to God. Jesus may be in heaven in body, but through the Spirit, Jesus walks with us and guides us. We are never out of God’s presence, and He wants to empower us to live faithfully and serve his kingdom.

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So, let these verses inspire you to pray and seek God’s help in living faithful lives. Let God’s love and power guide your steps so that one day, Jesus Christ will praise you in front of the heavenly hosts as a faithful servant.

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Jesus, you died for me. You made it possible for me to live forever in God’s awesome presence. I will live forever, but your kingdom is in the present. Help me surrender daily to the guiding hand of the Spirit so that I can be a faithful servant and serve that kingdom. I owe you everything. Amen.

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“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in the household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” 

Matthew 24:45-46  

Behind the Scenes

The theme this week is the spiritual fruit of faithfulness.  A faithful person is one whom you can trust to do the right thing in a specific circumstance.   A faithful person is also one whom you can trust to do the right thing over a long period of time.  We can trust God to be faithful because that is who He is.   He will always do the right thing.  As followers of Christ, we are called to be faithful as well. 

As imperfect beings, we must depend on God’s Spirit living inside us to help us be faithful like Jesus was faithful to the Father.   Once we say yes to Jesus, we serve him in God’s kingdom, and He calls us to be faithful disciples.   Today’s verses help give us a word picture of what such faithfulness looks like. 

Matthew wrote this gospel to Jewish believers, urging them to follow Jesus Christ.   In this part of the story, Jesus has entered Jerusalem and is preparing to meet his death on the cross.   He uses this time to teach his disciples about his coming death and eventual return.   In the section that contains these verses, he explains that no one will know the time of his return.   He urges believers to be ready, to be faithful to his teaching, so that he will not find them living disobediently when he reappears.   

This return is often referred to as the second coming of Jesus.  After Jesus’s death and resurrection, he spent forty days appearing to various people.   On the fortieth day, his disciples saw Jesus ascend to heaven.  As you can imagine, this was an awesome sight for the apostles, so they stood around staring into the sky not knowing what to do next.   Angels came down and reminded them that Jesus would return to earth one day in the same way he ascended.   In the meantime, they had work to do.   And as believers and followers of Jesus, so do we. 

Make it Real

Jesus is a great teacher and he often used examples called parables to illustrate and reinforce the truths he taught.   Today’s verses are part of a parable called the wise and faithful servant.   Jesus compares himself to the head of a household who leaves on a trip.  He entrusts the running of his household to one of his trusted servants while he is gone.    

The servant is expected to care for the household and the other servants.   The servant does not know when the head of household will return, so the servant must be faithful.   When Jesus returns, he wants to find us faithful and living as his disciples, caring for his kingdom and the people in it.   He does not want us to be living selfishly, pursuing our own agenda and ignoring the needs of others, the church, or our communities.    

It is important to point out that we do not earn our salvation, or our eternal life with God, by being faithful.   Salvation is God’s gift to us and only Jesus can give us that by his death and resurrection.   However, we are called to be faithful servants until Jesus returns.  Like a good servant in a household, Jesus will reward us based on our faithfulness.   If we are faithful with the responsibilities God gives us, he will give us many rewards.  If we are not faithful, we still live with God, but we will not have the pleasure of Jesus saying to us ‘well done!’ 

Does this cause you anxiety?  Jesus doesn’t want us to live in fear!   None of us can be faithful without God’s help.  The good news is that God’s Spirit is here to help us.   It’s never too late to start living faithfully.  It’s never too late to live a life pleasing to God.   Jesus may be in heaven in body, but through the Spirit, Jesus walks with us and guides us.   We are never out of God’s presence, and He wants to empower us to live faithfully and serve his kingdom.    

So, let these verses inspire you to pray and seek God’s help in living faithful lives.   Let God’s love and power guide your steps so that one day, Jesus Christ will praise you in front of the heavenly hosts as a faithful servant.    

Johnny Spence

Johnny Spence

ACF Devo Team

End in Prayer

Jesus, you died for me.   You made it possible for me to live forever in God’s awesome presence.   I will live forever, but your kingdom is in the present.    Help me surrender daily to the guiding hand of the Spirit so that I can be a faithful servant and serve that kingdom.  I owe you everything.   Amen.   

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