Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant [Meaning Defined!]
I wish I had a short PowerPoint presentation to look back at all the events that have happened in my life. I wondered if I'd hear the words "Well done my good and faithful servant" based on my current track record in life.Not that I have had a long life, at a mere 30 years old. But it seems like there is a lot packed into those short years. From the participation ribbons in tee-ball to the real trophies and medals earned in Jr. High and High school. Followed by multiple honor roll accolades in college and moving 1,100 miles from home to take my first big boy job.I found the love of my life in Minnesota of all places (I kid, Minnesota!) and married that beautiful and magnificent woman in a wedding that I will forever cherish. Fast forward three jobs and four moves later (all moves occurred in four different states) and I find myself writing this post for Paradigm Shift. Never in a billion years would I have thought I would be asked to write in any capacity, let alone for a Christian blog.
Of course, it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows over those 28 years. I haven't always been confident that Jesus will say the words "well done my good and faithful servant."
I’d be naive to think that as a 5th grader, I didn’t use foul language, and naive not to mention that in middle school, I started battling the addiction to pornography. How could I forget the emails my friends and I wrote to the whole high school slandering some of our classmates. Of course, along the way, there were multiple instances of lying, cheating, and stealing. It’s tough to admit to doing these unjustifiable acts, even in a letter to myself. So much shame and guilt wash over me as I relive those detestable memories described above.
Related Post: The United States of Pornography
But the beautiful part of it all is that God still loves me. He loves/loved me the same amount in the good times and in the not-so-good times. God never stopped pursuing me, and I never gave up on him. There are a lot of things that amaze me about my God. One of them is the fact that he never turns his back on me. He had, and has, every right to not want anything to do with me. However, he is always right there with a big smile and his arms wide open. Now if that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is.I want to think that when I get to Heaven, Jesus is going to give me a big ol’ hug and sit down with me on the most comfortable couch ever. He will then proceed to pull out a photo album of his most cherished memories of me as his spiritual soldier here on earth. With each turn of the page, we will relive every detail with nonstop laughter and tears of joy. When we reach the last page, Jesus will shut the album and turn to me and say, “Well done my good and faithful servant!” I can’t wait to hear those glorious words.
What scripture says Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant?
The words "well done my good and faithful servant" are from the book of Matthew in the Bible. Matthew 25:21 NIV says, “His master replied, ‘Well done my 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!’"
The quoted verse from Matthew above is where we find this saying. It comes from the parable of the Bags of Gold. You can read the rest of this parable in Matthew 25:14-28.
What Does Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant Mean?
If you want to make sure you will hear those glorious words, you first have to be saved. Those that don’t believe in God or Jesus Christ will never hear those words for Hebrews 11:6 says, “…without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Instead, we need to recognize that Jesus is not only our savior he is also our Lord (Luke 6:46), and we should want to serve him with gladness (Psalms 100:2).Once you have committed your life to Christ (See also, Am I Really saved (Will I make it to Heaven)) below are different ways we can go about serving the Lord.*Please know/remember that we can’t earn our salvation through works. Rather, the good works are a by-product of our intimate relationship with Jesus.
Let's take a deeper dive into these words:
The words, "Well done my good and faithful servant" cannot be summarized in a single post. But what we can cover here today is an overview with links to more resources to continue to learn more on the topic.
Share the Gospel
The Lord desires for us to go and make disciples of every nation and teaching one another (Matthew 28:18-20). If we truly grasp and understand what Jesus did for us, we should be hard-pressed not to want to shout it from the rooftops. (Continue Reading: Why We Can’t “Just Preach the Gospel”)
Help the Widows, Disadvantaged, & Orphans
We need to be careful not to put self-gratification before the needs of others. In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, condemnation falls upon the rich man for trusting in his wealth too much and not helping the beggar Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).
Forgive Others
Jesus is the ultimate example of forgiveness. He forgave all sins for every single person who has, is, and will walk the face of the earth. We have been handed this free gift and Jesus expects us to do the same to others. Remember that forgiveness isn’t the same as trust, but it certainly can lead to that.
Respect Your Role(s) in Church, Work, and Life
View your position of authority as an opportunity to help the people under you. View your position of servanthood as an opportunity to relinquish your authority, just as Jesus submitted to the Father’s authority. Jesus was master and servant to different people throughout his time here on earth and beyond. (Galatians 6:2)
Seek to Know God More Intimately
Yearn to know God’s character on a deeper level through church fellowship, listening to sermons, studying the bible, praying, listening/singing worship music, and journaling your walk with him. (Continue Reading: How to Focus on God)
Meditate on Where Your Blessing Come From
Recognize that every position/circumstance you are in is because of God, the source of every blessing. (Continue Reading: How to Live a Better Life Through Positive Thinking)
Be Unpopular
Don’t be afraid to stick up for your beliefs by displaying rare courage like the Good Samaritan. Ultimately God is the one we have to answer to, not men and women here on earth. Acts 5:29 - We must obey God rather than men.
Show Humility
Look at the character of Jesus and ask yourself how he would act in any given situation. A throwback to WWJD! If you read through the bible long enough you will find that Jesus and God displayed humility every single day. Read King Solomon’s Book, Proverbs for practical guidance. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.It all comes down to this; love God more than anything in this life and love others with sincerity (Mark 12:30-31). At the judgment seat of Christ, those who are faithful to the Lord will hear those words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” No true servant of the Lord could ask for more.