Taking God Lightly

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:42-51 NIV)

Several years ago my wife and I celebrated our anniversary at a very nice local restaurant.  Since it specialized in game meats, I decided to try the wild boar chop or, as our server described it, “pork with an attitude.”  When it was delivered to the table, I immediately noticed a lot of fat on the edge of the chop.  As I cut into it, I discovered one end was literally nothing but fat.  I am typically not one to complain, but I knew this was not a good piece of meat.  So I told our server and she said she would consult the chef.  She returned to say, somewhat embarrassingly, that the chef was aware of the fattiness of the chop, but had decided to serve it anyway.  She apologized and told me a new piece of meat was being prepared.  My assumption is the chef, or his assistant, thought he could get away with serving that low quality chop. Perhaps he thought I wouldn’t notice or just wouldn’t complain.  

I wonder if that is not how we approach sin sometimes.  We think we will be able to get away with it because we think no one is watching or that, somehow, it will be ignored.  If so, we take God far too lightly.  And this is the point of Jesus’ parable.  If we, as the Lord’s servants, are given a responsibility, He expects us to fulfill it.  Just because He is not physically present, doesn’t mean we are going to get away with being negligent or downright disobedient.  

To be given a responsibility and then intentionally not carry through with it is a sign of disrespect to the one in charge.  There will always eventually be consequences for that.  I have no doubt my complaint last right reached the restaurant manager and the chef got an earful.  

Today, remember disobedience to the Lord is a sign of disrespect.  He is not a hard taskmaster, but He does demand respect.  

© Jim Musser 2016