Wise and Trusted

S - "Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the one the master trusts to do that work? When the master comes and finds that servant doing the work he gave him, what a great day it will be for that servant. I can tell you without a doubt, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns. But what will happen if that servant is evil and thinks his master will not come back soon? He will begin to beat the other servants. He will eat and drink with others who are drunk. Then the master will come when the servant is not ready, at a time when the servant is not expecting him. Then the master will punish that servant. He will send him away to be with the hypocrites, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain." (Matthew 24:45-51 TLJ)

O - These words are spoken by Jesus on the front end of the "final exam" he posts in Matthew 25. The wise and trusted servant is NOT the one who has the largest following, who is a financial and/or entrepreneurial wizard or who has the greatest social influence/reputation.  Culture (religious culture included) teaches us to assess greatness by these measures.  Jesus tells us to assess ourselves by how we treat others … all others! The wise and trusted servant is the one who loves his neighbor as himself; who remembers and lives out the truth that all people are loved and wanted by God. The world (secular and religious) affirms those as wise and trusted who live by the bottom line, put the good of the organization/institution above all others and who have a great public image. According to Jesus, these are the ones who will be sent away with the hypocrites where the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.

A - Jesus always starts and ends with people.  I was trained to start with resources, structure, image and concepts and then people.  I am being retrained, refocused and refreshed by Jesus and his definition of wise and trusted.  I can't serve God and money … all money. The Kingdom is NOT primarily efficient because it is a kingdom of love … and love is not primarily efficient.  The love God is and affirms gives up its life for all others rather than giving up others for the life of an organization, institution or religion. Jesus insists I recognize that God cares about who I am in private rather than how I'm perceived in public.  I choose to believe Jesus about heaven and earth. "Truly, truly I say to you, we speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony! If I tell you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? (John 3:11-12 LEB)

P - Lord who loves and wants all,

Thank you for always starting and ending with people, all people. I accept your start and finish and the truth that the bottom line is never the bottom line.  Please keep leading, teaching, changing, transforming me … I really want to get out and keep out the plank in my own eye.  I admit that the purpose you give to me and to all is to love you back with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and my neighbor as myself.  If I do this I will live and everything hangs on this.  I want to be trusted and wise.

All my love,

Steve