Faith without good works is like barbecuing without meat. You light the grill and get some smoke, but you don’t cook anything. It’s all talk and no action.
In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable about three servants entrusted with the master’s wealth. To one, he gave five bags of gold; to one, he gave two; and to the third, he gave one.
All of them were given different amounts according to their ability. But they were each required to put the master’s resources to good work. Then the master left.
And here’s the catch: they all knew the master would return one day.
What would you do if your boss gave you company resources to put to good use, and you knew he would return and ask you to give an account? I hope you would put it to work! That would be sensible, right?
Well, it didn’t seem to click for the third servant in the parable. The first two went right to work. And the result was praise and reward from the master.
The master told them, “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.” (Matthew 25:23)
But that wasn’t the case for the third servant. He just stood there. He buried the master’s resources and did absolutely nothing.
As a result, the master told him, “You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it… throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:26-30)
Which servant would you rather be? The faithful one or the one who just stood there?
It’s in the doing, in the action, that your faith truly comes alive. Doing something for God is where your life and your faith intersect. God wants you to put your faith into action.
Here are a couple of ways to start doing that today.
Live a life that abounds in the work of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Do you know what “abound” means? It means to have a great quantity. We are to overflow with the work of the Lord. Let that be your life.
Do everything for the Lord.
Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
We do not serve God in addition to the rest of our lives as if it were something separate. It is our life. In all ways, we are to put the master’s resources to good work for his glory.
It means I do my job for God’s glory. I love my family for God’s glory. I serve my church for God’s glory.
Ultimately, I live my life for God’s glory.
The reason the third servant was cast out wasn’t because he didn’t make as much for the master as the first two. It’s because he just stood there and did nothing. All he had was excuses.
Don’t let that be you. Put your faith into action.
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