16 "The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'
17 "'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
18 "The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.'
19 "His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'
These verses found in the Parable of the Ten Minas beg the question: Are we being good, benevolent, profitable, useful servants to our Master? Indeed, trustworthiness being fleshed out in a life is both virtuous and advantageous to those who consider themselves bond-slaves of Jesus. As followers of Christ we are told in Scripture through the pen of Paul:
You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Cor 6:19-20 (NIV)
23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 1 Cor 7:23 (NIV)
Peter adding:
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)
Purchased by the precious blood of the Lamb from the marketplace of sin, believers were redeemed from the useless, vain, unprofitable, meaningless, purposeless, futile and empty way of life – not only saved from these things but saved for the following:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:8-10 (NIV)
We were saved from our useless life for profitable works in Christ. We were created to do good works hence when He returns His desire is to find us faithful and trustworthy in this endeavor. This holds true even in, what we or the world may deem to be, the smallest things He has prepared for us to do. Obedience is obedience – God considers nothing too small. Again this begs the question: Are we being useful servants to our Master?
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” Edmund Burke
“If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider ‘not spiritual work’ I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” Amy Carmichael
Paul tells us in Colossians:
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Col 3:23-24 (NIV)
“If He says ‘Well done,’ it does not matter who says otherwise.” Matthew Henry
It lightens the load to know Whom we are serving - infusing our labor with dignity and honor. We serve others faithfully for the sake of Christ who served us while we were yet sinners:
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NIV)
“It is too bad that many believers minimize the place of good works in the Christian life. Matthew 5:16 ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven’. We do not perform good works to get any glory for ourselves, but we do them to glorify His blood given on our behalf. Hebrews 13:16 indicates that our good works are actually ‘spiritual sacrifices’ that we offer to God.” Wales Goebel
“There are degrees of glory in heaven; every vessel will be similarly full, but not similarly large. And the degrees of glory there will be according to the degrees of usefulness here.” Matthew Henry