Scripture: “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” – Matthew 25:23
Examination of Chapter: Matthew writes about being prepared for the Lord’s coming in three separate parables: the ten virgins, the slothful servant, and the sheep and goats. The essence is that those who claim to serve Christ are not necessarily the same as those who serve Christ through their actions.
Application: For as long as I can remember, I have heard Christians say that when they one day stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, they hope to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. I have to admit, I have said those same words many times, but today I read something that really convicted my heart.
Why am I waiting until I reach heaven to hear those words from my Saviour?
As I pondered the implication of waiting until I enter eternity future to hear His satisfaction with my service, I wondered, “What about today?” I realized that I want to hear Jesus say “Well done” to me every day!
In order for that to happen, I need to be like the wise servants in Matthew 25, who took their master’s talents and used them to gain interest for him. I need to be serving Jesus daily in such a way as to bear fruit for His cause. How do I do that?
- SURRENDER – First, I must surrender my will to Him on a daily basis. In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells his followers, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” I must consciously commit myself daily to doing what God’s Word tells me to do.
- FORGIVE – Second, in Ephesians 4:32, Paul states, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Notice it doesn’t say that they have to ask for forgiveness in order for me to extend it!) Forgiveness is not easy for anyone of us to do when we feel we’ve been wronged, Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:13, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Jesus willingly and unconditionally offers each of us forgiveness, and we are all undeserving of it. I must have His mindset in forgiving others.
- SERVE – Galatians 5:13 instructs me thusly, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Putting the needs of others before my own will reflects the love of Christ to both those who are saved and unsaved. Galatians 6:2 also tells me, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Praying for other believers and ministering to their needs is commanded many times in the Scriptures. Jesus goes on to explain the importance of this by comparing our service to others as our service to Him. In Matthew 25;40, He states, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
- LOVE – John 15:12 records Jesus’ words, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” How did Christ show His love for us? Romans 5:8 gives us the answers, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Love is a decision, not a feeling. I must determine in my heart to love others regardless of how I “feel” about them. The godly love I need to cultivate within me is spelled out in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
These are all outwards acts of service that take me beyond my daily prayer and Bible time with Jesus, but when I focus only on personal prayer and daily devotions, I am similar to the slothful servant, who hid the master’s talent and produced no revenue for him. May I never be found hiding the precious gifts Jesus has bestowed upon me. Instead, my prayer now is that the light of Christ will shine forth from me to others, that I will serve Jesus faithfully to whatever He has called me to do, and that each night when I go to bed, Jesus will whisper to my heart, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.
Memory verse: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16