Day 311: The Faithful and Wise Steward (Matthew 24:45-46)

““Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭45‬-‭46‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As I write this in 2023, we are in the midst of a war between Israel and Hamas. It has caused a lot of people to wonder where this fits in with end time prophecies, or if it fits at all.

These times can get end-times prophets and chart makers and rapture practicers very excited. Those who spend their quiet time with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other and a packet of highlighters in front of them circle days like this with a red pen, listening for the sound of the approaching hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen.

Also, today is an Election Day in the US. And even though it is a midterm this year, there are still voices on the right and the left that this is THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME. And it may be so. But so was the last one. And the one before that. And the next one will be also.

I don’t mean to make light of it. I know Christ will return some day, and I believe it will be soon. I believe the conditions are right and that all the boxes have been checked for what God’s Word says to be watching for. But I also take Jesus seriously when He says, in verse 36, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

So I’m not going to pretend that the Father has revealed information to me that He hasn’t even revealed to His Son. Instead, I’m going to keep doing what the Lord has told me to do. I’m going to live a life of consistent integrity. I’m going to tell people about Jesus. I’m going to follow Paul’s advice to “make it my ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12),

Because here is the truth: for the faithful and wise steward, the day Jesus returns will be just like every other day. He will spend time in the Word. He will pray with and for His family. He will walk his dog and watch the sunrise and take joy in his dog’s excitement when she comes upon a family of deer in the cornfield. He will praise God for every good and perfect gift, and remember that God has made him a steward of God’s good creation.

Those are all things I did this morning before breakfast. And Lord willing, I will do all those things again tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that, blood moon and eclipse and the election of our lifetime notwithstanding.

And when Jesus comes back, I will rejoice that He has found me faithful.