Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time? (Matt. 24:45)
What does it mean to be faithful and prudent in the household of God? Faithful and prudent on what? In a time when information is everywhere and lies are rampant, the enemy is more active in our lives than ever. The enemy indeed is real among the goings-on of the world. But just as the enemy is real, so, too, is the church. The builded church — the one against whom the gates of Hades cannot prevail (Matt. 16:18) — requires a condition of being faithful and prudent. This faithfulness and prudence, however, is not in deeds or morals, but in carrying the condition of a parent. A parent nurtures; a parent disciplines; a parent feeds proper food to his children at the proper time. In this ongoing battle on the earth today, the best way to fight is to dispense, to feed, to eat the tree of life!
How we eat and how we serve food today is critical to the Lord’s need. Do you want to be powerful to your gospel contact? Feed him the right food. Do you want to bring the sister next to you to her spirit? Feed her the right food. Do you want to help your children to love the Lord? Feed them the right food. What food human beings need to eat is the tree of life. That is the only food able to defeat the enemy. We are not fighting to live worldly success or even to be good, moral people. Our Lord has an adversary; our parenting of our household, or our dispensing food to our household, is for defeating this common enemy. What a parenting!
Today, as His church in these dark times, the food of the tree of life is our sword. When lies run rampant, we have the clarity and power to cut straight the word of the truth (2 Tim. 2:15). In this battle, we are not loose, we are not random, we are not careless — whenever the enemy rises up, we are equipped with the proper food at the proper time. We can judge lies; we can cause darkness to flee; we can bring salvation to man. In these times of confusion, let us rise up to be faithful and prudent in God’s household, dispensing food at the proper time, wielding the sword to defeat the enemy!
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 5/1/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)