When you see Jesus in heaven, what’s the first phrase you want him to say to you?
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Those are the six words that I want to hear from Jesus when I see him in heaven. This phrase is from the parable in Matthew 25:14-30. Jesus shares a parable of what the kingdom of God will be like in the end times. A master gave his three servants money to invest based on the servant’s abilities, skills, and talents. The first two servants doubled their money. The master commended them and celebrated with them. They are given even more and entrusted to do more. The last servant was afraid and fearful. He buried his talent and gave back only what the master had given him. The master was furious and angry. He called the servant lazy and wicked. The servant got kicked out of the kingdom. Jesus shared this parable to show how Christians are to steward the resources, talents, and abilities that God has given each one of them.
I think it is safe to say that none of us want to be the third servant. I don’t want to be paralyzed by fear. I want to be the first two servants who worked by faith. Most Christians want to live their life by faith, but many of them can get paralyzed by fear in certain moments. So how can you live more by faith rather than by fear? Here are four ways to help you live by faith from this parable.
1) Faithful Servants move “At Once,” Fearful Servants procrastinate
After the first two servants received their investments, it says that they went out “at once” (Matt 25:16). They didn’t wait. They didn’t put it on their to-do list or calendar it in. They started “at once.” They moved into action. They didn’t want to delay the work. They knew that there was nothing more important, valuable, and worthy of their time. Faithful followers approach their day in the same way. They put to work what God has given them at once.
The fearful servant, on the other hand, buried the money. He didn’t work immediately. Rather he sat on the talent and let it go to waste. Many Christians put their skills to waste when they don’t use their gifts and talents or procrastinate. They believe that they have so much time or that they can put it off until tomorrow. When they keep pushing things off, it typically doesn’t happen. There isn’t this sense of urgency or importance.
2) Faithful Servants take risks, Fearful servants play it safe
Have you ever doubled your investments? It is really hard not only in the financial sense but also to double other things like your budget, volunteers, church attendance, and more. The faithful servants doubled their investment because they worked hard and took risks. They tried new things and found new strategies to be creative. They used all their resources and creativity to explore new possibilities and ways to double that investment. There is a risk that they could lose those investments but it was not a reckless investment. They wisely took risks.
The fearful servant did not take risks. Rather, he played it safe. He buried the investment. He knew where it was at and he knew what he would get. He won’t grow it but he won’t lose it. He played it safe. Playing it safe is about being comfortable. People who play it safe do not want to feel the pressure and anxiety of trying something new. You can’t fail if you don’t try. But this is a limited and selfish approach in God’s kingdom. God isn’t concerned about our comfort as much as he is with our character. Living the Christian life means taking faith risks every day.
3) Faithful servants know God as good. The Fearful servants question God’s goodness and character
The faithful servants don’t question the master. They know that the master is good and faithful. Faithful Christians know that God is good. It doesn’t mean that life always turns out good but they know that God is good even when bad things happen. God’s love and goodness motivate them. They don’t question God’s faithfulness and his methodology. They are loyal and committed to it even when it doesn’t make sense.
The fearful servant has a negative and distorted view of the master. He thought that he is harsh and unfair. Many Christians have this view of God. They think God is unfair and question how a good God can make people suffer. They blame God and think that God isn’t good. They base their understanding of God on the painful experiences of life rather than on God’s word and truth. This limited view prompts them to do very little or nothing.
4) Faithful servants work to build and create, Fearful servants criticize and tear down
The faithful servants are focused on building and creating. The focus is on creation. They want to take what wasn’t there and make it happen. Faithful Christians are those that want to build up the church, their family, and the community. They bring positivity, hope, and encouragement. They want to create new possibilities.
The fearful servant on the other hand criticized the master. By not creating or building anything new, he did nothing. Nothing is not zero. It’s actually negative because he wastes all the time, energy, resources, and possibilities. He destroys what could have been and the possibilities. He doesn’t give a chance for goodness and beauty to be created. That is wasteful and that’s why the master throws him out. Christians like this tend to criticize others more than create life. They want to tear others down rather than to build others up.
There are moments and days that Christians can fall into being more like the fearful servant. Ask for forgiveness and remember that today is a new day. We can choose to be faithful today. Let us move at once and not delay. Take a risk today and know that God is good. You can build and create something beautiful and positive for others.
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