“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.’” Matthew 25:21
This verse is part of a parable Jesus told to explain what heaven will be like. For that reason, it is often used at funerals or when we express what we are longing to hear when we get to heaven. Both uses are completely legitimate, but I began to think about what these servants had done to receive such praise. After all, if you’re reading this then you’re not yet to the point of hearing this in heaven. You, like me, are still in the “working it out” phase. First, let’s think about what it was like to be a servant in the time of Jesus. Very probably, these were actually slaves, owned by their master. If they were Hebrew slaves, then they would have had the opportunity to buy their freedom. Put yourself in their shoes. The master gives them money and then leaves town. How tempting would it have been to hide away some or all of the profits in order to buy their own freedom? How often do we do the same thing? God gives us something and instead of using that gift for His kingdom, we use it for our own pleasure?
That brings us to the next point, which is that everything they had was from the master. They weren’t asked to invest their own money. The master gave them everything they needed to make investments and do the work he had asked of them. The same is true for us. Is God asking you to do something? In case you’re wondering, the answer is yes. He has something for each and every one of us to do. Be assured that He will supply whatever you need to complete that task.
But let’s look at it from another angle. Has God given you anything? Again, the answer is yes. He has given us every good and perfect gift. That includes everything from the house you live in to the personality you have. Your family, your possessions, your talents, your smarts, your experiences – they’re all gifts from God. So how are you using those for Him? I remember when I was going through a season of grieving and I heard a sermon about being a good steward of our grief so we could use it for God’s glory. Everything single thing we have can be used by and for God. Or we can choose to hoard it and use it only for our own pleasure and comfort.
I hope you’re still with me here. I hope you’re not going to stop reading because that’s just too much to ask of any one person. I’m not suggesting that we are all to be Billy Grahams or whatever other Christian “superhero” you can think of. Well, unless those are the gifts God gave you. But notice in the parable that the one given one talent was not expected to make five more. Only the one who had been given five to begin with was expected to make five more. So don’t beat yourself up because you’re not doing as much or as well as someone else. The reason you’re not doing what they’re doing is because you’re not them. Comparing ourselves with other human beings is a completely human thing. God doesn’t do that. The question is not if we’re doing as well or as much as someone else. The question is if I am doing what God wants me to do with what He has given me. If I am, then I can look forward to hearing these words someday. And what a glorious day that will be!