Daily Devotional • June 16
A Reading from Luke 12:41-48
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?43 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 That slave who knew what his master wanted but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
Meditation
Have you ever been part of a group where someone was reprimanded, and you did not know whether it pertained to you? I would rather a leader pull me aside and tell me what I’m doing wrong, instead of being paranoid that a complaint is about me. I was part of a choir once, and the director reprimanded someone in the group for not practicing. I still wonder to this day if it pertained to me because I never practiced. Unlike Peter, I did not have the courage to ask if it referred to me. It does not matter if the director was making the comment to me directly; I knew I was not doing the work required or doing my best. As the director or master, God does not always make it crystal clear to us when warnings or disapproval are for us because we are belligerent like the slave and want to do it our way. However, God guides and directs us by the Holy Spirit to point out sin.
Are we ready for the Lord? This is not just a question regarding the end times but in our moments of prayer now. Are we prepared for the Lord to touch us with his peace, a challenging word, or a gentle conviction? Prayer is a blessing to us; it is not just another task to check off our to-do list. Through prayer, we are open to God for whatever he wants us to do. He is at work in us, and we are blessed to serve.
Jesus emphasized that the thief would come when they least expected it. Jesus is referring to himself, that when he returns, it will be when we least expect it. My grandmother used to leave the ironing board out so that when my grandfather came home, he would think she had been ironing all day. Do we fill up our calendars, so we look busy for God? Do we make ourselves look successful by being too busy even to pray? Are we preparing for Christ’s return or just looking like it on the outside? Who are we trying to fool — ourselves or God?
The Rev. Sara Oxley is the rector of The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland, Florida.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Tucson, Arizona
Iglesia Anglicana de Chile