Good and Faithful Servant

December 3, 2022

Matthew 25:21 - “His master replied, ‘Well done, 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!’

We know that Jesus told many parable describing the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the ending of one of those parables.  It’s the story of a man who gave 3 of his servants talents (money) and then left on a long journey. While he was gone, 2 of the servants took their talents and made more with them, while the 3rd went and buried his talent and made nothing from it. When the man returned and he saw the fruit of his servants’ work, he praised the 2 servants who had made more money and made them “ruler over many things.” However, the last servant, who had been too afraid to risk anything, his talent was taken away and given to the other servant.

The point of this parable is that God wants us to step out in faith and take risks for His kingdom. Is He calling you to some new thing, but you haven’t done it yet? Is it small like witnessing to someone who doesn’t know God, or perhaps a bigger step like going overseas for a short or long-term mission? Are you sitting still because you are afraid of failure?

At first, God usually gives us small tasks to do or in less visible areas of service. When we have been faithful in serving in that small thing for a while, then He gives us more. From God’s perspective, we have unlimited room for growth in the kingdom of God. We ourselves are the only limiting factor. 

The more we experience and faithfully serve God, the more He gives us to experience and do. God is the God of ever-increasing opportunities. He will take us as far as we are willing to let Him. He will never hold us back as long as our attitude and motives are godly. If we start serving for personal attention or notoriety, kingdom opportunities will dry up. But when we simply serve and aren’t concerned with who gets the credit, we will change the world together.