Friday Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:1-4
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 4:2
2 And the rest, it is sought among stewards that one be found faithful.
Devotion:
Christ lowered Himself to be a servant when He came to earth as a man. That servant may have been humble and lowly but He was also undervalued because He was and is the greatest! Think about the trust that has to be placed in someone working for another person, be it in a servant role or as an employee. The person in charge has to trust that the person doing the work will do the work and do it diligently. This being said, a servants role is actually quite important and may hold a very honourable role within the workplace or household because of the amount of trust that is part of their work remit. Whilst a servant cannot lift themselves up to the importance of their master’s position, they can work toward fulfilling their role as best as they can to ensure the position they work within holds the most trust and respect.
Paul saw himself as a steward of God’s word in that he was one of the apostles that took God’s word out to one and all. He had to make sure that he was working as a faithful servant would, dispensing as much of God’s word as he could to people who were willing to listen. He had to make sure that he did that with respect and honesty and in a way that would make others want to trust what he said too. His aim was never to lift himself up as the best proclaimer of God’s word but to be found as a faithful proclaimer of God’s word.
Far too many times people judge others flippantly by what they say and do without thinking about the consequences of their judgement. Paul was not one to be caught up by how others judged him because he knew that the final judgment would come from Christ and that is the only one that counts! He knew that by following in God’s will he would not be counted as useless when Christ came to judge him in the end. He knew who his master was and that was who he was serving to the best of his ability.
Points to Ponder:
What work do you do for others?
Are you a willing servant for God?
