Happy Birthday, David!

And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. (Luke 12:42-48 ESV). I am always happy to learn from my children. It seems some of the best lessons of all come directly through them. Each of their birthdays is an “excuse” for me to share some of those with you. Today is David’s birthday. Somehow the time has slipped away and he is 37. Since today is a Saturday, he will be working and we will be celebrating tomorrow. You may think that’s awfully unfair for him to have to work on his birthday; however, it is a great lesson in faithful service. Our reading today is from a series of parables Jesus uses to teach stewardship to his disciples. The chief protagonist in this parable is "the faithful and wise manager." The noun is Greek oikonomos, which means "manager of a household or estate. This word is modified by two adjectives. The first adjective is Greek pistos, which is best translated as “faith.” The second adjective is Greek phronimos, which means "pertaining to understanding associated with insight and wisdom.” The steward isn't just anyone, but one whom the master appoints to this leadership function. The main duty mentioned here is to give his fellow servants their food allowance at regular stated intervals. The steward that Jesus holds up for acclaim is not doing something particularly flashy or creative. He is just continuing to do his duty, day after day, without fail, without forgetting, without unexplained lapses. His virtue is faithfulness. You can count on him. Since moving back home I have had the opportunity to visit with David while he is at work. We had some business to attend to and being there in person was an added bonus. Watching him work with those under him was a wonderful example of someone just doing what was faithful. There was never any doubt who was in charge; but, there was always a mutual respect of the things that needed to be done by each person for success to be achieved. That’s a very unusual thing in the car business. I am reminded that whatever position in life I have been given, it is to be discharged with faithfulness, gentleness, and authority. That’s not always an easy balance to achieve. It works where we work, in our homes, and in our relationships at large. Think about how you can be a faithful steward of what God has given you to do today. Regardless of your level of responsibility, this principle applies. And, thanks David for another lesson! Happy Birthday!