“The master was full of praise. ‘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! ‘” – Matthew 25:21
The context of this verse from Matthew 25 rests in the three parables that Jesus used to teach His disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven and the final judgment that will separate believers from unbelievers when He returns.
Notice the words, “good and faithful servant,”which are applied to two men in the middle parable who were blessed for their faithfulness because they had wisely used the gifts they had been given by their master.
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Good. When Jesus was being complimented by a ruler who called Him, “Good Teacher,” our Lord responded, “No one is good but God alone.” In other words, “You have given me a title that only belongs to God” (Luke 18:18-19). So the word “good” points to the fact that it was God who manifested Himself in those faithful servants through their works and not their own “goodness” (Ephesians 2:10).
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Faithful. Being also called “faithful” however, directs our attention to the actions and conduct of the servants themselves as they lived out their lives as followers of Christ, faithfully using the gift(s) that God had given them for good. Further reading shows that the third person in this parable received nothing except condemnation because he chose not to use the gift he had been given (Matthew 25:24-30).
This begs the question. What are we doing with the gift(s) God has given us through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7)? Are we using and developing them for the good of His kingdom and His church? If not, why not?*
Remember dear saints, that the last person in this parable was stripped of everything because he had refused to use his gift because of a lack of faith in the one who gave it. God forbid, that would ever apply to any of us. Maranatha!
*I am teaching on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit tonight and next Wednesday at Koinonia Church, 10405 Comanche NE in Albuquerque. You are welcome to come and learn with us or watch the following night on our web site by clicking on Koinonia Church logo below.
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