“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.” – Matthew 25:21
If anyone knows me well enough, they know that at the core of my being this verse drives all that I do on this earth. It comes from the parable of talents, where Jesus describes three workers who are given money by their master, each according to his ability, before the master departs. When he came back and he saw that two of the men took the talents and doubled their money, he said these words to them. The man who hid his talent in the ground and did nothing with it was rebuked.
It has always profoundly struck me that this set of parables are directly tied to when He comes again, and a question has arisen within my spirit. “Am I doing the best with what God has given me?” More than that, I personally long to hear those words from Jesus when He returns. I can see myself kneeling before Him in all His glory and Him saying that to me, “Dan, well done my good and faithful servant” and the thought of this often brings me to tears.
In a day and age where following Jesus is seen as radical and often looked down upon, I turn to this thought to find peace and the continued drive to push forward. I have a mission and a master, and I long to spend eternity with Him. Don’t get me wrong, the cost and call of that drive is not easy. It has required me to do things, say things, and follow Him in a way that is sacrificial for no apparent benefit to myself or my family.
Why do I say this? Because I want to challenge you, and anyone reading this, to examine your own life. What are you living for? Has Jesus given you talents that you are hiding in the dirt? What drives you to do what you do on a day to day basis and when the Master comes again what will He say about it? These are not light and fluffy questions, but sometimes these are questions we need to ask ourselves. And, when we can answer them with an honest heart we will be one step closer to an abundant life in Jesus.