Matthew 25:21 – His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.
THEME OF THE DAY: THE GREATEST WORDS WE WILL EVER HEAR. There are a lot of words we may hear which bring a smile to our faces, calm to our hearts, and develop close relationships with other human beings. Phrases like “I love you”, “I forgive you”, “I am here for you” and “I am sorry” are just a few of those so important words sweetening and deepening our relationships.
Fast forward to the time our faith becomes sight. The long awaited day of seeing Jesus face-to-face has arrived. What will He say to us? Don’t worry about what we will say to Him. I often wonder about those people who say, “I can’t wait to get to heaven. I have a ton of questions for Jesus. I got a few things I need to say.” Really? Well, maybe throughout eternity such dialogues will happen, but in our initial encounter with our Lord, it won’t be a dialogue, but a monologue. On a side note, we need to be very careful how we talk of our relationship with God. Yes, He is our Heavenly Father and we may approach Him with “Abba, Father”. Yes, Jesus is our Elder Brother and Friend. But let’s never forget He is holy, holy, holy and a consuming fire. Every encounter we find in the Bible of a human being with God, yes, every one, and even with His children, was not met with lightheartedness, but dread and terror. It was meant with healthy fear and the type of fear which overwhelmed a person. Not a slavish sinful fear of being afraid, but a serious encounter leaving one speechless and undone. Don’t misunderstand me. This dread and terror of being in God’s holy Presence is delightful and satisfying, but equally overwhelming. There is simply too much of contemporary Christianity making God a “cosmic buddy” or a “divine parent” who goes easy on sin and grants us our wishes. Call Him “Father” and look to Jesus as the “Friend of sinners” but do so without levity or mindlessness that makes Him in the image more of what we think He is instead of what scripture tells us He is. Neglect the “awe factor” of who God is and we lose the reality of who God truly is. Now back to the topic . . .
Standing before, or actually bowing before the King of Kings, if we did life right, we will hear the greatest words a human being will ever hear come from the Lord Jesus. They are the words in today’s scripture – ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And it is possible for every child of God to hear them. It matters not where we live, what our callings are in life, or the situations we find ourselves. Every Christian may hear these glorious words of Jesus. However, if we want to do so, then we must strive to hear them at the end of each day of our lives. If we want to hear ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’, then today we must be a good and faithful servant. And how do we do that? Obedience from the heart to the Word of God. Look back on yesterday. Did purposeful obedience to God’s Word occur? In the midst of living life, did the Word of God guide our decisions, control our thinking, and determine our actions? Will it today? If we want to hear them in the future they must be lived in the present.
Beloved friends, the most important thing in life is living to prepare for the next life. That preparation is only possible in the Christian who believes obedience to the Word of God out of love for God is the chief calling in life. In our family relationships, work relationships, church relationships and social circles of relationships, let the Word of God be our compass guiding our attitudes and actions. This is the only way to live if we want to hear the greatest words we will ever hear – “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
PRAYER: “Father, I so praise You for the truth that You delight to give me the Kingdom.”
QUOTE: “If we want to hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’, start today being a good and faithful servant”