Matthew 25:14-30(KJV) talks about a man who went to a far country and left his goods (talents) to his servants to care for. Two words stood out to me as I read this parable: Well Done. In verses 21 and 23 their lord said to them “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”
Well done! When I think about those words, the first thing that comes to my mind is steak!
If you go to any steak house and order a steak, you have to tell them how you want it cooked. According to Google, there are 4 ways (not including medium) that you can have your steak cooked:
- Rare – the center is bright red, warm (but not hot), and the outside is a brownish gray.
- Medium rare – the center is slightly warmer, and it’s reddish pink instead of red.
- Medium well – there’s a slight hint of pink in the middle.
- Well-done – shows no hint of pink whatsoever, the center will be grayish brown throughout and the outside is nicely charred.
I know you might be saying ‘what in the world does a steak have to do with Christians’? Well, let’s look at the spiritual side of this.
God didn’t say rare or medium rare. Rare Christians and medium rare Christians are slightly warm. Revelations 3:16 warned what would happen to a lukewarm church. “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” If you’re professing to be a Christian and you rarely go to church, you rarely read your bible, you rarely witness, you rarely pray, then you’re lukewarm. You’re not on fire for God.
God didn’t say medium well. Notice that the medium well steak still has a hint of pink in the middle, much like the medium well Christian – they come to church, they sing in the choir, they’re on the usher board, but they still have a hint of sin in their lives. Ephesians 5:27 says “that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” He also gave a warning to the lifeless church in Revelations 3:2: “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can be perfect. God can make you perfect!
Notice God said Well Done! Now, take a look at the Well Done steak – it shows no hint of pink whatsoever and it’s nicely charred on the outside. In other words, the well done Christian is on fire for God. He’s not wasting the talents (gifts) that God entrusted him with. He’s fruitful. The two good and faithful servants took what God gave them and put it to good use and increased it.
This is what we must do to be “well done”. The master in this parable gave those servants talents according to their abilities. Not one servant received more or less than he could handle.
What has God given you?
He’s given you hands. Are you using them to help the poor and the needy? He’s given you a mouth. Are you using it to witness and to praise his name? He’s given you knees. Are you using them to bow down and cry out to him? He’s given you a brain and the ability to understand and comprehend. Are you using it to study his word and learn more about His ways? Or are you sitting on your talents, hiding them under the ground, afraid to use them? What are you going to show Him when he comes back? What do you have to show for the talents (gifts) that He’s given you?
Now, I’m not saying your works will get you into heaven. The only way you can get to Heaven is through believing in Jesus Christ and believing that He died on the cross for your sins. We can never repay Him for what He has done for us. Nothing we do will ever add up to the cost that Jesus paid on Calvary. But, how can we show gratitude for this? We can strive to be well done! We can be intentional in praying and seeking His face more.
Don’t you want to hear Him say well done? Well, give Him every reason to say it and not every reason NOT to say it!
Don’t settle for good. You don’t even want to settle for good on your job – especially if you’re trying to get a raise. What’s the difference between your boss saying “Good job” and “Well done?” Good job means, you did exactly what was expected, but well done means you went the extra mile! Doesn’t God deserve an extra mile?
Are you really well done? Can you really say I serve God with my whole heart and mind? What can you improve in your relationship with God? What can you make better? How can you go the extra mile to show God that he means more to you than anything else?
Today, ask God to search you. Ask God to make you “well done.” Ask Him to draw you closer. Ask Him to remove anything in your life that’s causing you to be medium rare! So when your time is finished he can say to you, without hesitation, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant!”
