Nobody in his right mind invites difficulties, you simply cope with those that do arise. But you don’t try to avoid your duties.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Californios)
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
–Ephesians 2:10(NKJV)
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Last Sunday I heard a very good sermon about one of the signs of the end. The words of Jesus tell us that there were two servants. That means they were serving the same Master. One was working diligently, looking for the coming of the Master and he is referred to as the “good servant.” The other servant wondered where the Master was and declared that the Master had delayed His coming. Remember, this was a servant of the Master, but is now called the “evil servant” and is beating his fellow servants and drinking with the drunkards (i.e., sinners). He is carousing, having a “good time”, not looking for the Master. Notice the severe words of Jesus,
“The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
–Matthew 24:50-51 (NKJV)
What a sad ending. A person who knew what the Master was like, but when the Master left followed the dictates of his own selfish heart. The Master is delayed, so let me party-hardy. See, the Master did come back and found him not looking for His coming–caught him unawares.
I have been reading in 1 Samuel and the message Sunday made me think of the events at the beginning of the book. Eli is there, the priest who had also judged Israel forty years. He had two sons who would follow him in the priesthood, Hophni and Phinehas. The Bible says that they were very corrupt and did not know the Lord. Think of that. They were in line to become priests, to offer the sacrifices, yet they did not even know the Lord.
There is a harsh statement concerning the two men and their father, Eli. It was prophesied that they both would die on the same day. The reason–because they made themselves vile, but it doesn’t stop there, their father did nothing to restrain them. The result was that when the ark was captured by the Philistines, Hophni and Phinehas died fulfilling the prophecy about them. When Eli heard the news, he fell over backward breaking his neck.
We are to be ready when the Lord comes. Now is the day of salvation; now is the time to choose. Hophni and Phinehas made themselves vile; the evil servant chose to become like the world around them. Let us be like the good and faithful servant and be found doing the work that the Master has assigned.