Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
Of a truth the faithful and wise servant whom his Lord finds doing his appointed work when He returns will be set as ruler over all that the Lord possesses, entrusted with greater responsibility and with the riches and honor and glory prepared for him. It is spoken to servants left in charge of their absent Lord's household and goods, calling them to watch and faithfully supply what is needed rather than hide or misuse what is His, as part of the final history of the earth when readiness must be shown in diligent service and not idleness. That greater trust is given only on the ground of present faithfulness lived day by day, because no one knows when life will close and the account be required, and at His coming the Owner will examine what He committed to each one. Such faithfulness means imparting the grace and truth entrusted for perishing souls instead of turning them to selfish gain, hurrying the gospel to every people and tongue with every soul a missionary, and giving means freely and plainly to God's cause without wasteful display or debt while doing each day's work with careful fidelity. The one thus honored must still remain a servant, a pilgrim whose citizenship is above, hiding self in Christ and guarding the heart against self-pleasing and the love of human praise, especially by those in responsible places who must not hinder others from truth or withhold compassion and help.
Promise and Its Setting
Of a truth the Owner on His return finds the faithful and wise servant carrying out his charge and sets him as ruler over all that He owns, entrusting him with authority over all His possessions and with greater responsibility. That greater trust brings the riches and honor and glory prepared for faithful stewards who have used what was entrusted to them in His service. The same stewardship calls for responsible use of the Lord's money without needless adornment, and for a house of worship that is plain, neat, tasteful and appropriate, dedicated to God free from debt.
The promise belongs to teaching about servants entrusted during their absent Lord's absence with His goods and household. It warns to remain watchful and to provide faithfully what the household needs, and not to hide or misuse what belongs to the Lord but to use it faithfully in His work. It stands in the account of the final events of earth's history, calling for constant readiness expressed in diligent service rather than idleness.
Faithfulness in present service is the ground for that greater trust, so that the one faithful now is given authority over all. Stewardship must therefore be lived daily, for no one knows when life closes and the account of stewardship will be required. When the Owner comes He will examine what He entrusted to each person, and those who have neglected fields of service or disregarded warnings, or who have spent entrusted wealth on needless display and self-indulgence while others suffer or lack knowledge of God, will be called to account as unfaithful stewards hindering His work.
The surrounding chapter is a lesson of great importance for all the sons and daughters of God about faithful stewardship lived by faith. That faith gives freely to the necessities of God's cause without ostentation or display, lives as pilgrims and strangers whose citizenship is above, hides self in Jesus, and guards the heart with perpetual vigilance against living to please self and courting praise and human honor. It devotes worship to training children, youth, and older members to hunger and thirst after righteousness, with inward spiritual perception of truth producing self-abasement, lowliness, and humility rather than exalting self.
Faithfulness in Daily Life
God has made His people stewards of His grace and truth, entrusted with the means of life for fellow men who are perishing for lack of knowledge, and neglect to impart these blessings is unfaithfulness to the trust. Like men sent with relief to a famine-stricken distant colony threatened by war who lose their ardor, turn aside to islands in their course, yield to the selfish spirit of gain, use the stores for their own benefit and barter the means of life for selfish gain, Christians who divert Heaven's blessings into channels of selfishness forget the starving people to whom they were sent and leave them to die. Though engaged in a work that makes them co-laborers with angels, they repeat daily this terrible sin of robbery. The cries of the perishing ascend to heaven while the Lord writes the tale of robbery in His record.
That faithfulness means hurrying to carry the gospel of the kingdom to all parts of the earth, to all peoples, tongues, and nations. Every soul is to become a missionary instead of leaving the burden on ministers, whose overwork comes from burdens others refuse to lift. Selfishness and wasteful spending on flowers, feathers, and dress are to be laid aside, since that cost may be a soul, and time is to be used instead to open the Bible and awaken souls ready to die. The soul is to be kept clean from all filthiness of flesh and spirit in holiness, and so freed ministers can go forth with prayers following them like sharp sickles into the harvest field.
With money, facilities, and the vineyard, the faithful steward gives freely to the necessities of God's cause without ostentation or display, returns the Lord's portion, devotes means to keep the vineyard from waste, prays for guidance, counts the cost and refuses more responsibility than can be carried. He refuses to spend everything on his own place with overabundant facilities or on needless display, adornment, and self-indulgence while others suffer or lack knowledge of God, for entrusted wealth is a test of fidelity and such use makes a person an unfaithful steward, brings great loss, and hinders God's work. He willingly and cheerfully binds his own desire to invest and control in order to impart money, foresight, and judgment to fellow workers in hard, destitute, and desert portions so they can improve their part, and his works of righteousness become a continual stream to needy places, so that in the councils of heaven God calls him My faithful steward. This applies to building only a plain, neat, tasteful, appropriate house of worship dedicated to God free from debt, since paying interest on debt is great loss. When the Owner comes He will examine what He entrusted to each person, and faithful stewards who use what God entrusts in His service will be rewarded with greater responsibility and the riches, honor, and glory God has prepared.
Faithfulness includes the work God has given each person every day, including duties to one's family, because fidelity brings reward and neglect brings the reward of the unfaithful steward. The physician's work is an example of this trust and must be careful, refined, and worthy of the responsibility, because careless or inefficient service harms others and brings disrepute to the work. People are accountable for how they use entrusted money, workers, and facilities, and those who neglect fields of service or disregard warnings will be called to account.
The steward whom God honors must remain a servant and represent Christ's patience, kindness, long-suffering love, honesty, self-denial, lowliness, and humility rather than exalting self, and a leader who lacks self-control or becomes oppressive fails that trust and should be discharged. He lives as a pilgrim and stranger whose citizenship is above, hides self in Jesus, guards the heart with perpetual vigilance against living to please self and courting praise and human honor, not claiming what he has as his own but heeding His counsel to do with His goods as He chooses. Those blessed with great light, especially students, must therefore show true religious interest by putting the whole heart into Christ's service through daily prayer and watchfulness instead of tame, listless striving without earnest devotion. Worship and its training are to be devoted to helping children, youth, and older members hunger and thirst after righteousness with inward spiritual perception of truth producing self-abasement.
Those who occupy responsible positions must therefore beware lest they prove unfaithful, for faithfulness in present service is the ground for greater responsibility over all the master's possessions. They must not hinder others from receiving truth or neglect fields of service and disregard warnings, for such unfaithfulness will be called to account. They must not use influence to lead people against the Lord's direction, for God will judge that unfaithfulness unless there is repentance. They must not withhold compassion and practical help from people in need, in contrast to the faithful steward's methods.
Of a truth the faithful and wise servant whom his Lord finds doing his appointed work when He returns will be set as ruler over all that the Lord possesses, entrusted with greater responsibility and with the riches and honor and glory prepared for him. It is spoken to servants left in charge of their absent Lord's household and goods, calling them to watch and faithfully supply what is needed rather than hide or misuse what is His, as part of the final history of the earth when readiness must be shown in diligent service and not idleness. That greater trust is given only on the ground of present faithfulness lived day by day, because no one knows when life will close and the account be required, and at His coming the Owner will examine what He committed to each one. Such faithfulness means imparting the grace and truth entrusted for perishing souls instead of turning them to selfish gain, hurrying the gospel to every people and tongue with every soul a missionary, and giving means freely and plainly to God's cause without wasteful display or debt while doing each day's work with careful fidelity. The one thus honored must still remain a servant, a pilgrim whose citizenship is above, hiding self in Christ and guarding the heart against self-pleasing and the love of human praise, especially by those in responsible places who must not hinder others from truth or withhold compassion and help.
Promise and Its Setting
Of a truth the Owner on His return finds the faithful and wise servant carrying out his charge and sets him as ruler over all that He owns, entrusting him with authority over all His possessions and with greater responsibility. That greater trust brings the riches and honor and glory prepared for faithful stewards who have used what was entrusted to them in His service. The same stewardship calls for responsible use of the Lord's money without needless adornment, and for a house of worship that is plain, neat, tasteful and appropriate, dedicated to God free from debt.
The promise belongs to teaching about servants entrusted during their absent Lord's absence with His goods and household. It warns to remain watchful and to provide faithfully what the household needs, and not to hide or misuse what belongs to the Lord but to use it faithfully in His work. It stands in the account of the final events of earth's history, calling for constant readiness expressed in diligent service rather than idleness.
Faithfulness in present service is the ground for that greater trust, so that the one faithful now is given authority over all. Stewardship must therefore be lived daily, for no one knows when life closes and the account of stewardship will be required. When the Owner comes He will examine what He entrusted to each person, and those who have neglected fields of service or disregarded warnings, or who have spent entrusted wealth on needless display and self-indulgence while others suffer or lack knowledge of God, will be called to account as unfaithful stewards hindering His work.
The surrounding chapter is a lesson of great importance for all the sons and daughters of God about faithful stewardship lived by faith. That faith gives freely to the necessities of God's cause without ostentation or display, lives as pilgrims and strangers whose citizenship is above, hides self in Jesus, and guards the heart with perpetual vigilance against living to please self and courting praise and human honor. It devotes worship to training children, youth, and older members to hunger and thirst after righteousness, with inward spiritual perception of truth producing self-abasement, lowliness, and humility rather than exalting self.
Faithfulness in Daily Life
God has made His people stewards of His grace and truth, entrusted with the means of life for fellow men who are perishing for lack of knowledge, and neglect to impart these blessings is unfaithfulness to the trust. Like men sent with relief to a famine-stricken distant colony threatened by war who lose their ardor, turn aside to islands in their course, yield to the selfish spirit of gain, use the stores for their own benefit and barter the means of life for selfish gain, Christians who divert Heaven's blessings into channels of selfishness forget the starving people to whom they were sent and leave them to die. Though engaged in a work that makes them co-laborers with angels, they repeat daily this terrible sin of robbery. The cries of the perishing ascend to heaven while the Lord writes the tale of robbery in His record.
That faithfulness means hurrying to carry the gospel of the kingdom to all parts of the earth, to all peoples, tongues, and nations. Every soul is to become a missionary instead of leaving the burden on ministers, whose overwork comes from burdens others refuse to lift. Selfishness and wasteful spending on flowers, feathers, and dress are to be laid aside, since that cost may be a soul, and time is to be used instead to open the Bible and awaken souls ready to die. The soul is to be kept clean from all filthiness of flesh and spirit in holiness, and so freed ministers can go forth with prayers following them like sharp sickles into the harvest field.
With money, facilities, and the vineyard, the faithful steward gives freely to the necessities of God's cause without ostentation or display, returns the Lord's portion, devotes means to keep the vineyard from waste, prays for guidance, counts the cost and refuses more responsibility than can be carried. He refuses to spend everything on his own place with overabundant facilities or on needless display, adornment, and self-indulgence while others suffer or lack knowledge of God, for entrusted wealth is a test of fidelity and such use makes a person an unfaithful steward, brings great loss, and hinders God's work. He willingly and cheerfully binds his own desire to invest and control in order to impart money, foresight, and judgment to fellow workers in hard, destitute, and desert portions so they can improve their part, and his works of righteousness become a continual stream to needy places, so that in the councils of heaven God calls him My faithful steward. This applies to building only a plain, neat, tasteful, appropriate house of worship dedicated to God free from debt, since paying interest on debt is great loss. When the Owner comes He will examine what He entrusted to each person, and faithful stewards who use what God entrusts in His service will be rewarded with greater responsibility and the riches, honor, and glory God has prepared.
Faithfulness includes the work God has given each person every day, including duties to one's family, because fidelity brings reward and neglect brings the reward of the unfaithful steward. The physician's work is an example of this trust and must be careful, refined, and worthy of the responsibility, because careless or inefficient service harms others and brings disrepute to the work. People are accountable for how they use entrusted money, workers, and facilities, and those who neglect fields of service or disregard warnings will be called to account.
The steward whom God honors must remain a servant and represent Christ's patience, kindness, long-suffering love, honesty, self-denial, lowliness, and humility rather than exalting self, and a leader who lacks self-control or becomes oppressive fails that trust and should be discharged. He lives as a pilgrim and stranger whose citizenship is above, hides self in Jesus, guards the heart with perpetual vigilance against living to please self and courting praise and human honor, not claiming what he has as his own but heeding His counsel to do with His goods as He chooses. Those blessed with great light, especially students, must therefore show true religious interest by putting the whole heart into Christ's service through daily prayer and watchfulness instead of tame, listless striving without earnest devotion. Worship and its training are to be devoted to helping children, youth, and older members hunger and thirst after righteousness with inward spiritual perception of truth producing self-abasement.
Those who occupy responsible positions must therefore beware lest they prove unfaithful, for faithfulness in present service is the ground for greater responsibility over all the master's possessions. They must not hinder others from receiving truth or neglect fields of service and disregard warnings, for such unfaithfulness will be called to account. They must not use influence to lead people against the Lord's direction, for God will judge that unfaithfulness unless there is repentance. They must not withhold compassion and practical help from people in need, in contrast to the faithful steward's methods.