February 22, 2024

February 22nd, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Matthew 25:14-30 (The Three Servants)
“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.” – Matthew 25:19 (NLT)
“Faithful & Fruitful”

In Christian circles, when we talk about the second coming of Jesus or standing before God for judgment, we usually only speak in terms of one thing. Are you saved or are you not? But the Bible is pretty clear that there is more that we’re accountable for than just that. Yes, we will be judged as to whether or not we’ve committed our lives to Christ and been faithful. But there’s another part that’s judged. Fruitfulness.
In Jesus’ parable, when the Master returned from his long trip, his servants weren’t asked about their relationship with the master. They were asked about their fruitfulness. He “called them to give an account of how they had used his money.” He wanted to know if they had been wise, diligent, and productive.
That makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable. They don’t want to be measured that way. Ask me if I’ve said the sinner’s prayer. Ask me if I went to the altar at the end of a service. Ask me if I got saved at Youth Camp, a revival, or at my door with someone who had a Four Spiritual Laws pamphlet in their hand. But don’t ask me if I used my gifts. Don’t ask me if I served willingly and enthusiastically at church. Don’t ask me if I visited folks in hospitals or nursing homes or served regularly in a soup kitchen. And certainly don’t ask me if I ever tried to lead anyone else to Christ. That’s not fair.
But Jesus says differently. Jesus points out that God endows each of us with an investment. And just as assuredly as we’re going to give an account of our salvation, we’re going to have to give an account of our activity with the things God blessed us with. James, usually thought to be the brother to Jesus, said it this way in his letter in the New Testament, “Faith without works is dead.” That powerful statement reminds us that we’re not just saved FROM something, we’re saved TO something. And that something we’re saved to is a life of divine activity. When I was young, the Four Spiritual Laws question was, “If you were to die tonight, do you know that you’d go to heaven?” But maybe there’s another one we need to answer along the way. “If you were to die tonight, would you have been diligent and productive with the gifts God gave you in your New Life?” Be more than Faithful. Be FRUITFUL. That’s God’s Word for you today.