Praised by God #7 — Well Done!

His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Matthew 25:21

No participation trophy here. No words of praise or welcome for failure. We can only expect to hear these words if we succeed. When he returns, Jesus will praise us if we have been good and faithful in our assigned tasks, because, evidently, those two qualities are what it takes to succeed. This is not too much to ask. Life before his return may seem overwhelming, but even those who have abundant resources and responsibilities really have just a little, compared to what will be ours in eternity. He only asks that we be faithful to develop our finite resources and execute our limited responsibilities in loyal service of his interests while he is gone. We are good servants when we identify with him and support his mission. We can accomplish what is most well-suited to fulfill our individual roles in his domain, when we delight in his success so much that we make his purpose our purpose, and engage our energies to that end. Then when he returns to enjoy his reign over the Kingdom of God, our hearts will be in tune with his, and his invitation, along with his affirmation, will be music to our ears: Well done! Well done! Well done!

Lord, make my heart resonate with yours, so I remain true and resolute as I eagerly await your return. Amen.