MATTHEW 25:21, 23 – 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. LIVING THE JOYFUL AND EXCITING CHRISTIAN LIFE. Imagine us sitting down over coffee and I said, “I discovered the secret to living the Christian life with overflowing joy, clear purpose, sustained excitement, and that on a daily basis”, how would you respond? Would you be “chomping at the bit” and say, “Really, Jim? Please. Share it. I want my life to be as Biblical and Christ-centered as possible. Tell me, I really want to know.”
Well, I didn’t receive new revelation from heaven. There isn’t a 67th book added to the Bible titled, “The Epistle of Jim Sole.” The answer has always been in God’s Word. I knew it, but I am not sure I really let it grip me to the point of radically changing my life. Oh, I think I am making progress; like three steps forward, two steps backward for a one step gain. And I do get discouraged at times over the slow pace of “getting it”, when the Lord teaches me His truth, but I am reminded of the encouraging words from Charles Spurgeon, “Even the snail made it into the ark.”
So, what is the “secret” to living the joyful and exciting Christian life? It is found in today’s scripture. It is simply learning to do all things, think all things, speak all things, and bring our entire lives under the control and motivation to hear from Jesus, “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.” If we learn to direct every attitude we allow, every action we take, and every word we speak to be guided by the goal of having them receive from the Lord Jesus the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”, our Christian lives will be liberated. We will be free from a critical and judging spirit over what other Christians do or don’t do. We will no longer be enslaved to the opinions and fears of people of what we do or don’t do. We will be set free from seeking the approval and praise of people. And we will watch our hearts and lives being shaped by eternity not this world. Everything will become spiritually simple; even the complexity of parenting, working on marriages, being a testimony on jobs, ministering to our brothers and sisters, and reaching out to our neighbors with the love of Jesus. When we become motivated, energized, and directed by the potential of our Creator/Savior/Judge looking at us, smiling, and saying, “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”, the Christian life will be joyful, exciting, and consistent.
Yes, I have discovered the secret to living out the Christian life as God intended and provided for in His Son, the Lord Jesus. Yet, it is a “discovery” that He has already put in His book. We simply need to renew our minds with it, warm our hearts by it, and then exercise our wills to do it. Then, we will be living the Christian life properly motivated and for His glory.
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PRAYER: “Father, help me to keep one goal before me in all I do – to hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.”
QUOTE: “If the words ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ direct our every attitude, action, and word, joy will overflow.”