Faithful in Service
“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’”
(Luke 19:16-19)
These verses beg the question: Are we being good, profitable, useful servants to our Master? Indeed, trustworthiness being lived out is both virtuous and advantageous to those who consider themselves servants Jesus. As followers of Christ we are told in:
You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
(1 Corinthians 7:23)For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Purchased by the precious blood of Jesus from the marketplace of sin, each one of us has been redeemed from a useless, vain, and empty way of life–not only saved from it but saved for a another purpose!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
We were saved from a useless life in order to accomplish God’s good works! We have been created to do great things for Him! Hence, when He returns, His desire is to find us faithful and trustworthy in this endeavor. This holds true even in what we or the world may deem to be the smallest things He has prepared for us to do. Obedience is obedience–God considers nothing too small.
“If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider ‘not spiritual work’ I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”
(Amy Carmichael)
Paul tells us in Colossians:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)
“If He says ‘Well done,’ it does not matter who says otherwise.” (Matthew Henry)
Take It to Heart
It can lighten our load to remember Whom it is that we are serving. Knowing that we are doing God’s work infuses our labor with dignity and honor. We serve others faithfully for the sake of Christ who served us while we were yet sinners.
“It is too bad that many believers minimize the place of good works in the Christian life. Matthew 5:16 ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven’. We do not perform good works to get any glory for ourselves, but we do them to glorify His blood given on our behalf. Hebrews 13:16 indicates that our good works are actually ‘spiritual sacrifices’ that we offer to God.”
(Wales Goebel)
“Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything.”
(St. Ignatius Loyola)
