How To Be A Faithful Servant
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Matthew 25:24-30
“Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
“ 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
In this parable, Jesus tells of a master who gave three servants some resources. Two of the servants worked with what was provided and yielded a profit. The third servant simply hid his talent in the ground and made no profit with what had been provided. On his return, the master dealt with his servants and responded to their level of service.
Being good stewards of what is provided is important in all of life. At our medical center, the most famous person among our faculty, by far, was Dr. Arthur Guyton, author of Guyton’s Textbook of Physiology. Dr. Guyton was distinguished in many ways, but his stewardship was legendary in our school. There are so many stories.
In a move that frustrated administrators he would often return money to funding agencies if more than anticipated and needed was received. He required his faculty to be good stewards, as well. For years, any equipment that could be made in our machine shop was made there rather than ordered from a supplier. When others were using “disposable gauze”, Dr. Guyton’s faculty were required to wash, sterilize, and reuse gauze.
But his office arrangement was what amazed people most. Visitors came from around the world to meet this famous man. Most were very surprised to see him sitting at a small, green fifty-year-old metal desk in a Spartan office. Many attempts were made by the administration to provide him with nicer furniture. It was always refused by Dr. Guyton. He’d rather use the money on research.
In our spiritual lives, stewardship is a key trait. For those of us who are health professionals, being good stewards of what God has provided for us is necessary for fulfillment in our careers and for the fulfillment of God’s call in our lives.
Lord, make me a faithful and productive servant.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
