Reading: Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Matthew 25:21

The parable of the talents stresses the need for faithfulness in service. When the lord journeyed away from his home, he expected his servants to do the very best they could for him. 

They were to remain and busy themselves in his work. He had provided the means and the opportunity for them to show their dedication to him. When the lord eventually returned and examined the work that had been done in his absence, he commended some of his servants with the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” The master required, recognised, and rewarded faithfulness. This is true of our great Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Saviour would have us serve Him with our whole heart. He does not demand great skill or great strength, but He does expect loyal commitment. Having put our hand to the plough, we must not look back. Our calling to serve comes from the greatest Master. It constitutes the greatest privilege. It involves the greatest work. It is marked with the greatest importance and it produces the greatest outcome. Service of such a spiritual and eternal nature demands our very best. Our work for the Saviour demands that we strive to be faithful at all costs. He requires it and He will reward it.

To hear the “well done” of Christ will more than repay our work for Him. This is the highest commendation. I write these words just as life peerages are being awarded in Britain. To be afforded a place in the British House of Lords is considered a personal honour. But it is nothing in comparison to the declaration from the Lord of Lords that we have been faithful servants to Him. There is no greater honour than to receive the praise of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let us labour today and every day for the “Well done” of God.

“Believers are not rewarded on account of their works; they are rewarded according to their works.” R. L. Dabney

Taken from A Word in Season edited by Alan Cairns, 2010. Used by permission.