January 8, 2019

Well Done!

Well Done! No, this article is not about how you would like your hamburg-er cooked. It is about having the Lord Jesus Christ say those words to us be-cause of the way we live this New Year. My college soccer coach often used the phrase “well done” whenever my team or one of the players on my team did something right. As a team, we wanted to play in such a way that he would say those words to us. How much more should we want to hear our Lord Jesus Christ say those words to us be-cause of the way we live in 2019?

How can we live in a way that the Lord will say, “well done”? Matthew 25:21 is a verse in the middle of the parable of the talents. A lord is responding to his servant with these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” This parable is an example of what the Lord is going to say to his faithful servants. Notice the emphasis on faithfulness. The servant is called a “faithful servant,” and the servant is described as one who has “been faithful.” Therefore, if we are to have the Lord Jesus Christ say those words to us, we need to be faithful.
As we begin 2019, let us work on being faithful servants. The acrostic be-low shares some practical thoughts designed to encourage faithfulness to our Lord in 2019:

  •  Focus on the Lord, the Faithful One. Otherwise we will grow weary and faint (Hebrews 12:1-3).
  • Acknowledge sin and confess it (1 John 1:9). Praise the Lord that we can focus on Him even in failures. He is faithful!
  • Increase attendance at worship services. Make it your goal to be more faithful in church attendance in 2019. Faithfulness to the corporate gatherings of the church allows us to receive encouragement from other believers as we prepare to meet the LORD (Hebrews 10:24-25).
  • Thanksgiving. This habit is the will of our Lord for us! If we miss it, we are outside of the will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Be thankful everyday in 2019 – don’t wait until the fourth Thursday of November!
  • Heartily serve the Lord. Faithfulness is not just about what we do, but how we do it. Colossians 3:23 states, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
  • Fulfill your God-given role in the family (Ephesians 5:21-6:4). Read what God expects of you in the pas-sage and then faithfully follow Him.
  • Understand the importance of rest and reflection. Remember that faithfulness does not mean always working (Genesis 2:2-3; Luke 10:38-42). One of the best things we can do to remain faithful is to quietly sit at the feet of Jesus by reading His Word and praying.
  • Live each day as if the Lord could come back today (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

The servant in Matthew 25 was noted for his faithfulness. May God help us in 2019 to develop godly habits that will help us to develop faithfulness so that if He were to return in 2019, He would say to us, “Well Done, good and faithful servant.”