A Future Reckoning

Originally published in Issue 62 of Calvary Chapel Magazine

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:23b

When the Lord comes again, He will require of His servants an accounting of what they have done with all that He has entrusted to them. That’s the thrust of the parable in Matthew 25:14-30. Whatever the Lord has given you, you are to use for His purposes and for His glory.

In the parable, Jesus says that a master gave to each servant according to his or her unique ability. The “talents” He speaks of are actually units of money. The talent was a certain weight, and its worth depended upon the metal it was made of, whether gold, silver, or brass. The master entrusted five talents to one servant, two to another, and one to a third servant. Then the master left on an extended trip.

Jesus’ parable asks, What are we to do with whatever God entrusts to us? One day we will stand before God and give an account. Jesus says that some are given more than others. God will not require of you more than you can produce—God invests in you according to your ability.

Ask yourself, What has God put in my keeping for which He will require an accounting upon His return?

The servant who had received five talents traded them and gained another five. The one given two talents doubled them. But the man given a single talent put it in a napkin and buried it. He hid his master’s money in the ground. Jesus said, “After a long time, the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them” (Matthew 25:19).

I believe that the coming of the Lord is near. It could be further down the road than I expect. Still, I live in the expectancy of the soon return of Jesus Christ. When the Lord comes—and our Lord is coming—I should be watchful and ready for Him. I must be doing something profitable with whatever He has entrusted to me, that I might give back to Him more than He gave to me.

While the coming of the Lord will be a day of judgment for the world, His coming will be a day of reckoning for His church. We shall give to the Master an account of what we’ve done with what He has given us.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Matthew 16:27

The servant who had been given the five talents brought another five, and the Lord said to him, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord’” (Matthew 25:21). The man who had been given two talents received the same words of commendation. What matters is not how much you were given, but how faithfully you’ve used what God has entrusted to you.

The servant who had received just one talent immediately began offering excuses for returning only that which he had been given. In so doing he also expressed his misconceptions of the Lord. “You are a hard man,” he said. That’s not true, for Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). God does not require unreasonable things of us. I have found that it is easier to please the Lord than it is to please people. Next, the man accused the Lord of reaping where He did not sow. The Lord does not do that. That would be dishonest. Lastly the man said, “I was afraid” (Matthew 25:25a). The servant tried to excuse himself, but his master accused him of being wicked and lazy. What was wicked was his false conception of his master, but his basic problem was slothfulness. He was lazy and careless with the things that God had entrusted to him.

His coming will be a day of reckoning for His church. We shall give to the Master an account of what we’ve done with what He has given us.

“If you really thought that I reaped where I did not sow,” the master said, “then at least you should have put the money in the bank so when I returned I would have interest on my investment.” Because of the man’s slothfulness, the talent given to him was taken back and given to the one who had faithfully doubled the five. What are you doing with whatever God has entrusted to you?

But let a man examine himself. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 1 Corinthians 11:28a, 31

One day, I’m going to stand before Jesus Christ, my Lord. Will I be able to say, “Lord, You gave me five and I’ve gained another five”? Or will I be able to say, “Lord, You gave me two, and I’ve gained another two”?

You too are going to stand before the Lord and give an account of yourself. Our Lord is coming, and when He does, it will be a day of judgment for the world and a day of reckoning for believers. Let us never be lazy about serving God, but may we be diligent in using the things He has entrusted to us for His purpose and His glory, for the expanding of His kingdom.

 

All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version.

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