“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one of us may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10
“Then Peter said to Him, ‘Behold, we have left
everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?’
And Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, that you
who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His
glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters of father or mother of
children or farms for My Name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will
inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last,
first.” Matt. 19:27-30
The parable that follows in Matthew 20 is very
interesting. For, though each man is recompensed for his work, some who have
worked fewer hours are generously paid as much as those who have been working
all day. God is gracious. The man who serves the Lord all his life and the man
who comes to know Him on his death bed will both go to be with Him forever! That
is a gift no amount of good works could ever earn.
We also see the parable of the talents in Matthew
25:14-30. Three servants are entrusted with their master’s money – one with
five talents, one with two, and one with one. The first two servants double
what they’ve received and the third buries his talent in the ground. The first
two servants report their profit to their master upon his return to which he
responds,
“Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will
put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Matt. 25:21 & 23. The master gives the same
response to the one who made two talents and the one who made five. Both
receive the same reward. Both took the talents they were given and invested
them to make a profit for their master.
But the slave who buried his talent is reprimanded for his
laziness and wickedness, and what he had was given to the first servant. The
unfaithful servant does not enter his master’s joy.
Ok,
why am I bringing all of this up? These passages have really hit me. Especially
the passage I lead with in 1 Corinthians. “For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, so that each one of us may be recompensed for his
deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Cor.
5:10
Guys, what we do matters. Some day we will all have to give
an account to the King of Kings for how we have lived. Our actions will be judged. And we will be rewarded tremendously if we live a life that is pleasing to the Lord!
“Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful in a few things I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the JOY of your master.”
Anyone who leaves family or home for Jesus will receive, “many times as much and inherit eternal life.” The cost pales in comparison to the reward,
“Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Cor. 4:17
This is for real. Some day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account for our earthly life. And what a reward for the faithful servant! Ah guys, what could possibly be better than to hear Jesus speak to you those words “good and faithful slave?” We can’t imagine how tremendous the reward for faithfulness is. Why would we live for anything less?
It’s like Martin Luther said, “There are only two days in my
calendar: This day and that Day.” May all of us live this day with that Day in view. Amen.
