Proper time

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

PROPER TIME

Matt 24:45-51

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 I tell you the truth, 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.

NIV

Jesus has been telling his disciples what is going to happen regarding his return. They and we have been warned to keep watch for we do not know the hour of his return. We need to be continually aware it could be any moment. Now he asks the question regarding who is the faithful and wise servant regarding being ready for his return. Now because the idea of servants giving food to the household of the master at the proper time has nothing to do with suppling a meal to eat, the Lord has something else for us in this teaching. This in some sense does have something to do about occupying until he returns. But the food to the household might well be about feeding the household of God. This could be either the church or the whole of mankind. It is not about actual food that sustains the body, but about spiritual food that sustains the soul or spirit of man. Because he makes reference to the servant becoming wicked, Jesus is warning us to be on guard against certain types of thinking. It has been over two thousand years and he has not returned yet. Why hasn’t he? Why is he taking so long? Just look the wickedness in the world. It has to be just as bad as or worse than in the time of Noah. Certainty he should have been here by now. Well, heck, if he isn’t coming back for a while yet, then we might as well do whatever we want anyway, and later we will start doing the right thing. Does it really matter if I live a little? This is the thinking he is warning us about. We need to be about doing the business of the Father. We cannot afford to get lazy about sharing the gospel message, the real food. It is one thing to be a church attender, or even a member and look like we are spiritual. We might even be involved in some ministry at church to other believers, or being a Sunday schooler, or bible studier discussing all the details of passages. But if we just look like a believer and we are not feeding the household of God true food at the proper time we might just be the hypocrite Jesus is talking about. He is coming back and he is coming for those who have accepted him as Lord and Savior. The rest are going to be left behind and if they do not repent they will find themselves in the lake of burning sulfur. How can we justify not giving them the food of life, all the while being so spiritual? How can we justify becoming like the unbeliever, living to satisfy our own wants and desires, going about doing whatever we want? Sure we still say we are believers, we still attend church, and do all the church things, but have we separated that church thing from our life thing? Have we given up on sharing the message all the while taking on the ways of the world? Jesus is coming back and we need to be about our Fathers business. What is the business or the work of God?

John 6:29

29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." 

NIV

God’s work is about bringing his creation to repentance and belief in Jesus. Everything God does is for the purpose of bringing his creation back to him. The reason he gave the law was for that purpose. The reason Jesus came in the first place was for that reason. The reason he sent the Spirit was for that reason. God’s will is that none perish.

2 Peter 3:8-9

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

NIV

Therefore his work is to bring everyone to himself and therefore we should be about feeding his household, rather than becoming like them. When is the proper time to feed the household of God?

2 Cor 6:2

I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

NIV

Today is the proper time to bring the food of life to the people, the gospel message. So let us be found doing the work of him who sent us into the world.