The Faithful and Sensible Steward: Delivering the Grain

"And the Lord said, 'Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.'" Luke 12: 42-43 NASB

We've spent the last few days on these two verses. Jesus is looking  for faithful and sensible servants. We've learned that "giving rations" is a little like "feed my sheep." Doing the will of the Father was nourishment to Jesus and it should be to us, as well. Yesterday, we learned that healing broken hearts (those of the people around us) should be one of the objectives of our service.(Click the links to read the previous posts in this series.) 

Today, we turn to the task of the steward who is put in charge. Usually, the one who is in charge assigns the jobs and those "under" him do the work. In Jesus' hierarchy, it's exactly opposite. In the Kingdom of God, the one in charge does the work. 

Sitometrion is a Greek word translated here as "their rations" and is used only once in Scripture. It literally means "a measured portion of grain." The one given authority by Jesus is not moved into a position distant from the people he serves. Jesus gives authority that moves us closer to the people we serve. 

In Jesus' system of administration, a promotion is to the front lines of service, not to a lofty corner office. He promotes to handing out grain, not handing down edicts. 

It's a surprising system, isn't it?

I like the corner office. I prefer the big promotion that allows manicured nails and well-tailored suits.

The problem with the corner-office promotion is that it provides an additional layer, or two or three, from the very work that earned us the promotion, from the people we intended to serve. We end up serving more paperwork (even if digitally) than persons.

Are we serving Jesus in "front line" ways? Are we touching lives up close or living a remote, lofty kind of faith that is isolated from the people we were called to serve? 

When I give God my hands, He uses them in the most unexpected ways. It rarely ever requires a nice manicure to accomplish His work.

If we are faithful servants of Christ, we should be present with the people we serve.

Let's take a careful look at the service we give to our Lord. Are we serving as "ration givers" or not? Are we delivering the bread of life to those around us? If not, why not?

We have a personal, one-on-one God who knows us intimately and loves us anyway. We can do no less than serve as He served, love as He loved.

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Dear Father, forgive us for giving more than serving, for serving ourselves more than those in need. Help us to have servants hearts. Make us servants to those You love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Teach us to pray, part 36: Daily Bread

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: ' Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 'Give us each day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" (Luke 11:2-4 NASB)

We come now to the phrase "give us each day our daily bread". The word here for daily is epiousios, and Strong's explains it to mean "for this day and the next". The idea here is that God will provide enough for today and tomorrow, so that we will not be fearful today about what we will need tomorrow. For one who has a tendency toward concern for tomorrow before I've begun today, this is the kind of provision that gives me great comfort. It's provision that allows me to enjoy the gifts of today, knowing that tomorrow is also secure.

This kind of prayer for "daily bread" is not a prayer for champagne and caviar. This is a prayer for what is necessary, not what is extravagant. It is not a request for wants, but for needs. I have a sad history of many wants (and of obtaining those wants), most of which have nothing to do with needs. When I rein in my requests to that which is necessary, it allows me to leave the extras to my Heavenly Father, who is far more generous than I could ever deserve. 

When I truly ask for my "daily bread", I begin to focus on my needs rather than my wants. I've found that the things I have accumulated take on a different light, as well. Not everything I've accumulated is something I still need, and many of these things could better serve someone else. There is great freedom in passing items that are still serviceable to someone who can use it. 

There is something very interesting about the word translated here as bread. According to Thayer's, this is the word for bread made from flour and water. It is the thickness of a thumb and baked in a round cake about the size of a plate. This bread is to be broken, not sliced, and is the same word used to describe the bread eaten at the Last Supper, the bread about which Jesus said, "This is my body, broken for you." It is also the same word Jesus used when He said, "I am the bread of life." (John 6:35)   In a way, when I pray "Give us this day our daily bread," I am also asking that I have all the spiritual sustenance I need. It is a request for as much of Christ as I will require, as well.

May God give us each day the spiritual and physical sustenance we need. This week, let's make a conscious effort to focus on both our spiritual and physical needs, remembering that the provision for both come from God alone.