A Good and Faithful Servant Today’s passage: Matthew 24:45–25:46 Focus verse: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21) As Jesus winds down his teaching about the end times and his return, he shares an example of two servants. One is faithful and wise. The other is wicked. The first does what’s expected by his […]
Serve Jesus and No One Else Some Christians say they’re a follower of Jesus. Others preferred the label of disciple. But how many would say they’re a servant of Christ? Being a servant doesn’t sit well with most people in today’s society. They view it as a negative and something to avoid. Yet, this wasn’t […]
Follower, Disciple, Servant Many people call themselves Christian, but I wonder how many really are. Christian means different things to different people. Do you call yourself a Christian? Some people call themselves a Christian because they go to church once or twice a year. Or perhaps their parents are Christians, and they assume they inherited […]
We Are His Servants The next word picture for God, is him as the master and we as his servants. With God as our master we see him as being in charge. He is the boss and directs our activities (1 Samuel 3:10, Matthew 6:24, Matthew 10:24, and Matthew 25:21). Extending this image to us, […]
Righteousness is Another Word for Integrity Someone once surprised me, catching me off guard by calling me a “man of integrity.” Though honored by their perception, I shook my head. Yes, I aspire to be a person of integrity, but I’m not there. I have a long way to go and will never fully arrive. […]
Paul Affirms Tychicus as a Dear Friend, Faithful Minister, and Servant of God Tychicus is a character in the Bible who most people don’t know. His name occurs only five times, once in Acts and four times in Paul’s letters. The letter to the Colossian church is one example. Each time Tychicus’s name is mentioned, […]
Focusing on Ourselves Is Selfish While Focusing on Others Is Selfless There was a time when I headed up our church’s small group initiative. One of the things I learned was that small groups with an inward focus lasted about eighteen months and fizzled out. However, groups with an outward focus would last much longer. […]
Living a life for Jesus is living contrary to our culture Jesus often warns his followers to not be hypocrites. As an example of who not to emulate, he usually singles out the religious leaders. This is a sobering thought for anyone on a church staff or who has a following of spiritual seekers. Don’t […]
Jesus gives a brief story about the interaction between a servant and his master. The conclusion is that the servant should not expect any praise or special treatment for merely doing his job. So too should be our attitude when we do what God expects of us. Instead, we—I don’t think I’m alone in this—have […]