Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant
When my dear mother-in-law passed away suddenly from a stroke a year ago, our whole family was in shock. Despite our grief, there was a bittersweet joy knowing she was with Jesus.
She had served the Lord faithfully her entire life, giving so much encouragement and joy to those around her. She spent her years loving everyone she met and being Jesus to them. I could almost see her approaching her Savior, with joy in her eyes as He gave her a huge hug and told her, “Well done!”
Isn’t that what we all want? To end our lives knowing we lived fully and accomplished everything God had for us here on earth? But what does that look like? How do we know what we are supposed to do?
In Matthew 25:19-23, ESV, Jesus shares the parable of the faithful servant:
“Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 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.'”
“And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 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.'”
While Jesus may have been using the talents as a metaphor, this parable isn’t simply about investing your money. More than stocks or bank accounts, the Kingdom of Heaven is the best investment.
Jesus was explaining to His followers how, when they give their time, talents, and resources for His Kingdom, they will produce so much more than they could ever imagine on their own. The same is true for every follower of Jesus, including you and me.
Faithfulness is a heart condition, and it looks like giving where the Holy Spirit asks you to give, even when it doesn’t make sense.
Investing in the Kingdom of God may look like spending your life telling people the Good News instead of focusing on building your own wealth.
It may look like serving faithfully in your local church, moving halfway around the world to be a missionary, or raising kids that fiercely love Jesus.
Any investment in the Kingdom of God is worth it, and while you may not always see the outcome in this lifetime, you can be assured that you will have all of eternity to see it.
Fix your eyes on Jesus and make Him your portion. Make His Kingdom a priority and you will one day hear the best words anyone could ever hear:
“Well done, good and faithful servant!”
