Goodness (2)

Thu, 6 May 2021

‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Matthew 25:21

When you stand at the judgment seat of Christ, you’ll have one final opportunity to hear the word ‘good’: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Note, He doesn’t say ‘well thought’, or ‘well intentioned’, but well done! You’ll be rewarded for what you do.

On that day, God will zero in on your actions, not your opinions or intentions. Goodness should be the last thing you think about when you go to bed and the first thing you think about when you wake. The Bible says, ‘Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright?’ (Proverbs 20:11 NIV) You know what you’re really like on the inside, but the only you others see is from the outside.

James Merritt writes: ‘Talk is cheap. No matter how much you claim to be a good person, the only public measuring stick is your actions. You may think that by being good you’re not doing a lot of good. But never underestimate the power of even one person to exert tremendous influence by simply doing the right thing, at the right place, and at the right time.’

It’s all too easy for the focus of our lives to become us and not Jesus. We’ll miss the heart of the servant-king and, in wanting the spotlight for ourselves, we’ll strive to become famous, rather than set out to be faithful. At the judgment seat of Christ, all of us will hear an assessment of our lives. Let yours be: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’ (Matthew 25:40 NIV)

So today, seek to do good.