How We Can Live Today to One Day Hear “Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant”?
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Imagine the moment you stand before Jesus. The race of life is finished. The opportunities, the assignments, the quiet nudges from His Spirit are all behind you.
Now it’s time to give an account. What do you long to hear?
“Well done, good and faithful servant,” or a heartbreaking realization that you wasted what could have been used for His glory?
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells a parable that compels every follower of Christ to consider how they are spending the life, time, and gifts entrusted to them. Jesus tells this parable just days before the cross, urging His followers to live faithfully while they wait for His return.
This parable isn’t about earning salvation. Salvation is a gift received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). Instead, it’s about what we do after we’ve been saved. Jesus gave the parable of the talents to show the importance of faithful service. It’s a reminder that the way we live now matters for eternity.
The Master Entrusts Each Servant According to Ability
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey” (Matthew 25:14-15).
In this story, the master represents Christ. The journey is His ascension to heaven. The servants represent believers. And the “bags of gold” (or “talents” in some translations) represent the resources, opportunities, and responsibilities God gives to His people.
Each servant received something; no one was empty-handed. But each one received according to their unique capacity. God is both generous and wise. He does not burden us with more than we can handle, and He does not expect us to do what we cannot. He simply expects us to be faithful with what we’ve been given.
A servant does not invent his mission; he receives it. God has entrusted you with specific gifts, resources, skills, and opportunities. They are not given by accident, but by divine design. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:6).
The question isn’t, “Why didn’t I get more?” The real question is, “Am I being faithful with what I have?”
Whether your “talent” is teaching, encouragement, giving, organizing, helping, or serving behind the scenes, it is vital to the work of the kingdom. Don’t envy others, invest what you have.
Faithfulness Requires Action, Not Just Good Intentions
“The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more” (Matthew 25:16-17).
No one was expected to do what they hadn’t been equipped to do. Yet every servant was expected to do something. Notice the phrase: “went at once.” There was no delay. No hesitation. The faithful servants acted immediately. They didn’t waste time wondering what others were doing. They took initiative and acted with bold obedience. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace” (1 Peter 4:10).
God honors action born of faith. It’s not about perfection; it’s about obedience and diligence. You may feel what you have is small, but God can do much with a surrendered life. “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” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Faithfulness means stepping out and serving, giving, sharing, discipling, building. You may not have the same gifts or resources as someone else, but God doesn’t compare. He simply expects faithfulness with what you have. God does not reward potential. He rewards faithfulness. God uses what you do for Him, not what you merely intended to do.
Faithful servants don’t need applause. They work for the Master’s approval, knowing their true reward is eternal.
Faithful Service Is Measured by Effort, Not Size
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 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!’ The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ 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!’” (Matthew 25:19-22).
Notice something important: the servant with five bags and the servant with two bags received the same reward, because both were equally faithful.
God isn’t measuring the size of your ministry. He’s measuring the faithfulness of your heart. God doesn’t judge you by someone else’s capacity. He evaluates your faithfulness to what He gave you.
“Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else” (Galatians 6:4).
We serve Christ well when we labor faithfully with what He’s entrusted to us: our time, talents, spiritual gifts, resources, and relationships. Paul wrote, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
When we finally stand before our Master, we want to offer more than good intentions. We want to present faithful service. Not flashy success. Not public applause. But quiet obedience, unwavering loyalty, and enduring love. Don’t get discouraged by what you can’t do. Do what God put in your hands and do it with all your heart.
Serve with Eternity in View
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them” (Matthew 25:19-22).
The faithful servants weren’t driven by applause or comparison. They were driven by the return of their master. They acted because they knew the day of reckoning would come.
Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). This isn’t a judgment of condemnation for the believer, it’s an evaluation of stewardship. Did we serve well? Did we finish the work He gave us?
Faithful service focuses our time. It says “no” to distractions, and “yes” to what matters most. It sees the grocery store, the classroom, the living room, the hospital bed, all as places where Christ can be honored. It gives when no one claps. It works when no one sees. Because it looks beyond today, to that moment when we stand before Jesus.
Jesus isn’t looking for flashy performance. He’s looking for faithful workers. The day is coming when the Lord will return to settle accounts. For those who served with faithfully He will say, “Well done.”
The Reward of Faithful Living
“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!’” (Matthew 25:21, 23)
Faithfulness leads to greater responsibility and greater joy. And best of all, faithful servants get to share in their Master’s happiness. You’re not working for earthly applause, you’re living for eternal purpose.
Jesus said, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” (Revelation 22:12). One day soon, the King will return. May He find you faithful. May you hear His voice say with a smile, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Near the end of his life, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
The day you hear “well done” will make every sacrifice, every unseen act of obedience, every moment of labor for Christ more than worth it. This parable doesn’t ask, “How much do you have?” It asks, “What are you doing with it?” You were saved to serve, not to sit. You were entrusted to invest, not to bury.
Today, you are writing the story that will be told when you meet Jesus. One day soon, the Master will return. When He does, may He find you faithfully working and giving your best for His kingdom. Then we will hear those powerful, joyful words echo through heaven: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tonktiti
Brad Simon has shared God’s Word for over forty-five years, with a unique blend of storytelling and Bible exposition. He is a retired Master Jeweler and relies on the God-given creativity that won him several national and international jewelry design awards to craft Biblical Narratives and Life Stories that are engaging and thought-provoking. Once a speaker, author, and publisher for the jewelry industry, now he is putting those skills to work to promote the beauty and appeal of God’s Word. Download a free copy of his devotional on prayer.