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 your master’s joy.” Matthew 25:21

Jesus does not hand out participation trophies. He does not speak words of praise or welcome if we fail him. We can only expect to hear his affirmation if we succeed. After his resurrection, Jesus departed to receive his final authorization to rule over God’s kingdom. When he returns, he will praise us if we have been good and faithful to accomplish our assigned tasks, because, evidently, he thinks these two qualities are necessary to our success. This is not too much for him to ask. Life before his return may seem overwhelming, but even those of us 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. He will consider us good servants if we identify with him and support his mission. When we delight in his success so much that we make his purpose our purpose, and engage our energies to that end, we will be able to accomplish what is most well-suited to fulfilling our individual roles in his domain. Then when he returns to enjoy his reign over God’s kingdom, 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, cause my heart to resonate with yours, so I remain diligent, faithful, and resolute as I eagerly await your return.