January 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Stewardship is very important in the Bible, but modern life offers little that helps explain what a steward is and does.

In Bible times, when a man went on a journey, he might well stay away for more than a year. Then he would entrust his belongings or his business to a steward for the duration of his absence. That person, the steward, had full authority to transact business or rule the household until the master returned. The return of the master was also the day of reckoning. And since the master's trip was not scheduled by a travel agency, the date of his return was uncertain.

You can see what an excellent example this institution of stewardship provided when the Lord wanted to warn his followers to wait and work in expectation of his return. That's why a number of parables are about stewards who work in their master's business and who must constantly keep in mind that their master will return unexpectedly. The point of the parables is not that the master will stay away for a long time but that he will return unexpectedly.

Now, if you had to choose a person to whom you were to entrust your business or your farm, what would be the most desirable traits to look for? They would be reliability, loyalty, faithfulness. The most important thing in a steward is not brilliance but faithfulness.

In every decision the faithful steward thinks first of the master. Every night the books and the master's business are organized so that if the master should come home during the night, the steward would be ready to give an account.

"So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matt. 24:44).

Reflections

If the Lord were to return tonight, would he find you ready? Faithful?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.