Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Luke 19:20-23
20 “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. 21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’
22 “ ‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, 23 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
20 “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. 21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’
22 “ ‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, 23 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
Commentary:
19:20 Lord, here is your mina. The third servant has not labored or conducted business with the mina but has hidden it away where it did no good for anyone and did not gain additional value. Those who fail to do anything useful with the resources, talents, and opportunities God has given them will fall under his displeasure and may thereby indicate that they are not even true believers (cf. Matt. 25:30).
19:21 Severe man does not mean selfish or unfair but, rather, strict and holding to high standards, or austere, like the Greek word it comes from (Gk. austēros, “strict in requirements,” “exacting”; cf. Matt. 25:24). This is not intended as a description of Christ, for Luke 19:17, 19 show him to be abundantly generous and gracious. This servant does not know his master well, or else he is simply making up an excuse for his own failure.
19:22–23 The servant is condemned by his own words, for if he believed what he said, he would at least have put the money in the bank to earn interest. This would have required minimal effort by the servant, and the money would have been useful to others, as the bankers used it to make loans.
19:21 Severe man does not mean selfish or unfair but, rather, strict and holding to high standards, or austere, like the Greek word it comes from (Gk. austēros, “strict in requirements,” “exacting”; cf. Matt. 25:24). This is not intended as a description of Christ, for Luke 19:17, 19 show him to be abundantly generous and gracious. This servant does not know his master well, or else he is simply making up an excuse for his own failure.
19:22–23 The servant is condemned by his own words, for if he believed what he said, he would at least have put the money in the bank to earn interest. This would have required minimal effort by the servant, and the money would have been useful to others, as the bankers used it to make loans.
Questions:
- The faithful will be rewarded, but the FAKER will be JUDGED. This is speaking of the 3rd servant; the one who hid his money in the ground. He is a false follower, different than the others. This is a scary category. Some scholars think he is a believer that just barely sneaks into heaven. Others think he isn't a believer at all, but someone who THINKS they are a true follower, who pretends and plays the Christian game, but who has never fully trusted in Jesus. Either way, it's a category you don't want to be in. Have you ever been in the "faker" category? Are you now? Do you know anyone who is? How might you reach them?
- This is a great picture of today's cultural Christian, who honors God with their lips but whose hearts are far from Him. They are just playing games. What we all need is a healthy dose of the fear of a holy God. A.W. Tozer said, "Nothing twists and deforms the soul more than a low or unworthy conception of God." In other words, you can never grow beyond your concept of God. How big is YOUR God? Does your life reflect you having a healthy fear of a Holy God?
Pray:
- That you would be a light in the darkness.
- That you would live your life with fear and trembling before God.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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