Faithful?

What if you are wasting your life? Not this one, the next one? What if you are passing up opportunities in the next life because of your actions, or lack thereof in this life? What if you have a chance to be all that you can be now, but it doesn't really count until eternity?

In the parable of the faithful and wise servant, Jesus tells His disciples, “Stay ready, so you don't have to get ready.” The master is coming and it's up to the good and faithful servant to be ready, waiting, and looking for his return, that is when the servant will receive his reward (Luke 12:35-48). No reward for earthly success or accomplishment but for faithfulness in doing God’s will. Jesus is coming and though we do not know exactly when we know that He has gone to set up an everlasting kingdom for those who love Him. There, He will reward the wise and faithful servants with positions of authority in His kingdom.

Our four-year-old daughter said something hilarious to me the other day. She did something commendable and asked, “How are you going to reward me, mama?” I almost fell out of my chair laughing. She started laughing too, at my reaction. Once I got up off of the floor and composed myself, I said, “Reward you? The reward is the satisfaction you have of knowing you did a great job. The reward is the fact that you did it for the sake of doing it. You don't do things in this life to get something in return, you do them because it's the right thing to do and God has blessed you with the ability. You do things to help other people when no one else is looking, not for a reward. Your reward is not here babe, it's in eternity. God is watching everything you do.” “Why is God watching everything I do?” she asked interrupting my spiel. “Because He is keeping a record,” I said. “He wants to see if you will do the right thing without getting anything in return. He wants to see if He can trust you.”

We are blessed. We are clothed in our right minds, we have a reasonable portion of health and strength, provision, and protection. The sun shines on each and every one of us and the same can be said about the worst people in the world. The thieves, the liars, the cheaters, the bad guys, the sun shines on them too. They receive blessings just like the good guys. Everybody receives blessings, but everybody doesn't get rewarded. God blesses on a daily basis but He doesn't reward on a daily basis. When you do what He asks of you, He rewards in forever.

There is a question I ask our daughter when she's not doing what she's supposed to be doing. "What is sin?" “Huh?” she responds, stopping in her tracks. "You heard me, what is sin?" "It's when... it's when..." she stutters. "When what?" I ask. “It’s when you do what you want to do,” she finally mumbles under her breath. "It’s when you do what you want to do,” I repeat louder and more clearly, "and not what who wants you to do,” I ask. She looks at me and looks away and says, “It's when you do what you want to do and not what God wants you to do. Sin is when you disobey God.”

We live in a sinful fallen world where man does what he wants to do and not what God wants him to do. Sin produces a fallen world but obedience to God produces an eternity full of reward. Salvation is a free gift you receive when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you don't earn your way to Heaven, Jesus already paid the price. Nevertheless, you can and will receive position and reward in eternity.

God put a cherub named Lucifer in a place of authority, but he was unfaithful (Isa. 14:12). A whole host of angels were unfaithful too. Then God created Adam and Eve, and they too were unfaithful (Gen. 3). God is looking for someone He can trust, someone who will be faithful!

Who is faithful to God when it gets them nothing, that's what He wants to know. Is it you?