Goodness – Part 2

“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

When you stand at the judgment seat of Christ, you’ll have one final opportunity to hear the word ‘good’: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Note, He doesn’t say well thought, or well intentioned, but well done! You’ll be rewarded for what you do. On that day, God will zero in on your actions, not your opinions or intentions. Goodness should be the last thing you think about when you go to bed and the first thing you think about when you wake. The Bible says, ‘Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright?’ (Proverbs 20:11). You know what you’re really like on the inside, but the only you others see is from the outside. One Christian leader writes: ‘Talk is cheap. No matter how much you claim to be a good person, the only public measuring stick is your actions. You may think that by being good you’re not doing a lot of good. But never underestimate the power of even one person to exert tremendous influence by simply doing the right thing, at the right place, and at the right time.’ Mother Teresa always shied away from the limelight. She saw herself as a servant, not a star. Her greatest desire wasn’t to be famous, but to be faithful. As a result, she ended up touching the lives of multitudes even though her only thought was to help the next hurting person. Among her favorite Scriptures were these words given to us by Christ: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these…of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:40). So today, seek to do good. Just so there is no confusion – you are NOT saved by Good Works – You are saved FOR Good Works!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me always remember that my actions DO matter in my witness reflecting You and the goodness that You always show. In Jesus’ Name, Amen