“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 25:23 ESV).
This Scripture quote is from the Parable of the Talents. Matthew’s gospel has this parable arranged in alignment with Jesus’ discussion of end times in chapter 24 and nested between His Parable of the Ten Virgins and His discussion of the judgment of the sheep and goats. Its placement and the parable itself point to the truth that Jesus will return and expect an accounting of our stewardship.
God has entrusted certain gifts and abilities to each of us that are to be invested and used in His Kingdom. He cares about our work. He wants us to be busy using what He has entrusted to us. How we manage our “3 Ts” (Time, Talent, and Treasure) matter to God.
Some believers are concerned when we speak of the importance of working in God’s Kingdom. They worry that some will think they can earn their way to heaven. Yet Paul’s letter to the Ephesians puts both earning and effort in right order saying, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10).
We are saved by grace unto good works. The first leads to the second. Grace is opposed to earning, but it is not opposed to effort. Therefore, let us receive God’s grace through faith in Jesus and let us work with all our hearts for His Kingdom.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for calling us to follow You and join in the Father’s work. Forgive our slowness to trust. Forgive our fear of living the life of the open hand–– one hand open to You and one hand open to others–– so that Your blessings pass to us and through us to others. Help us to invest our lives fully into that which has eternal significance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.