I think we all want to hear those famous words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I know that I am soooo looking forward to that BIG day! Actually, I’ve stated many times that it’s the most important day of my life. I like to think of it as Graduation Day! All the hard work, studying, along with the failings and passing of many pop quizzes and tests; yeah, and I can’t forget the make-up tests…thank God for His grace and mercy! And that’s where you would probably say, “I know right?!” Ha! But anyway, all jokes aside…this is a very important day. However, before we graduate and hear those beautiful words, we have to pass the final.
I really want to pass the final! That’s the moment when I stand before the Lord and my whole life is examined before Him…the Day of Judgment. Many people fear this day, because they look at it in the worst sense. Now, don’t get me wrong. If they’ve either not accepted Christ, done the will of God, or lived immoral or wicked lives, then yes, I could see that being a pretty scary day. Yet, that’s why it’s so important to accept Christ, obey God’s Word, do what He’s called us to do, and continually examine our walk with the Lord. The Bible says, “Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.”
So in the meantime, as we go about this thing called life, we need to be asking ourselves some very important self-examining questions:
1.) Am I using the gifts and talents God has given me?
2.) Am I using them for His glory or my own?
3.) Am I doing well?
4.) Am I doing good?
5.) Am I faithful?
6.) Am I a servant?
Ah, isn’t that another way to look at it? Sometimes we have to break things down to really get a full understanding of what is required of us. So, think about these six questions. Are you using your gifts and talents for Him or for the world? Are you doing well in your Christian walk with God? Are you doing good in your community, home life, school (if you’re there), on the job, or in the earth? Are you faithful to your husband, boss, leaders, Pastor and his wife, friends, and your commitments? And last, but certainly not least, are you serving in your church, community, or to the least of the brethren?
From time to time, I ask these questions of myself. I literally ponder on each one, because if I haven’t done these things, then can He really say this about me? Or you, for that fact. I have to keep it real guys. Time is running out! You can tell by the obvious signs of today that Jesus is coming back soon. And we have to be found doing the will of God and faithfully serving well.
Remember the story of the three servants in Matthew 25:14-30? If you’re not familiar with this parable, take a moment to read this passage of Scripture. This will help you better understand this post. But for now, let’s read Matthew 25:14-18 where Jesus says, “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone. He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last-dividing it in proportion to their abilities-and then left for his trip. The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money for safekeeping.”
Matthew 25:19 goes on to say, “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.” Now to paraphrase, after the first and second servants gave accounts for what they’d done with their money, the master was full of praise and said to them, “Well done, my good, and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (NLT) Yay!
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BUT! To the third servant who hid his money, this is what he heard, “You wicked and lazy servant! You think I’m a hard man, do you, harvesting crops I didn’t plant and gathering crops I didn’t cultivate? Well, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with the ten bags of gold. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.” (Matt. 25:26-29) Now here’s the nail-biter! Matthew 25:30 says, “Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
*Wow! Clearly, we can see that the third servant did not use well with what was given to him, and the outcome was hell. Do you see how serious this is ladies? That’s why we have to use the gifts and talents that the Lord has given us and use them well for His glory! We have to do His will, and not our own. Don’t take my word for it. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” And we certainly don’t want to hear, “Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.” (Matt. 7:23 NLT)
Look, I want to be on golden streets someday, and I want to see you and so many others there as well. That’s really the whole purpose for these weekly blog posts. Its sole purpose is to help us to prepare for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to be ready from the inside out for that amazing day! I pray that you and I can hear those beautiful words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” But we have to make it our life mission to utilize the gifts and talents that Jesus has given us where He sees fit and to the glory of God. And the Lord knows who each of us needs to reach and when? Our job is to be sensitive to His direction and obey when He calls. So let’s do this! School’s almost over, and the final is near. Let’s get to work so we can pass the ultimate test. Pray for me as I pray for you. Love you sis!
Remember, Jesus is coming back again soon! Let’s get ready from the Inside Out!
~Courtnaye
I highly recommend that you order the audio movie, "Affabel" by John Bevere. It's really awesome! It's a great illustration about "The Final" that I've talked about here. Order it, get some friends over, and pop some popcorn and listen with surround sound if you can! I believe it could be a life-changing experience for all those listening. Click here for more... http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933185066/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=11722123296&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=639680913356397428&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_je8gouvs5_e
P.S. If you get it and hear it, let me know what you think. I'd love to get your take on it! Thanks!
Thanks for reading! Like, comment, or share from my Facebook Fan Page and “Like” it while you’re there! You can “Like” it here now http://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye. Also feel absolutely free to leave a comment here! I’d love to get your feedback! I pray that God will continue to enlighten you to live for Him through His word in your daily life. Stay tuned for new blog posts every Monday at 7:30am on Inside Out with Courtnaye @ www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org. Also, follow me on Twitter by inoutwcourtnaye. Thanks again!
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