True Success (Matthew 25:23)

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
– Matthew 25:23

I love this picture. I long for this picture to be true in my life today, and ultimately in the end. The whole story here in Matthew 25, it’s a parable of a master who entrusts his servants with talents. And some of those servants take those talents that they’ve been entrusted with, the gifts that their master has given them, and they multiply them. And when they do, they come back and the master looks at them and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Just let that soak in for a moment, because this is such a key verse—concept all throughout Scripture.

Matthew 25:23 reminds us that faithfulness is true success.

Let me ask you this question: If I were to ask you, “What does success look like for you in your life?” How would you answer that question? What does success look like for you? Just think about that, and as you think about that, I want to encourage you with what God’s Word says success is.

Success is faithfulness, period. It is not making a lot of money; success is not getting the best grades; success is not being this or that that the world says you should be. And not that having a job and making money or working hard in school and getting good grades is bad, by any means, but well, you just think about it: there are ways to make money and to get advancements in your job that don’t honor God. There are ways to get good grades that don’t honor God.

Matthew 25:23 teaches us that joy is found in the Master’s “Well done”.

Faithfulness to God with all that he has entrusted to you today. That’s success for you. This is 1 Corinthians 4: Moreover, it’s required of us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God—that we’ve been given the gospel—what’s required of us is that we be found faithful. And this is where joy is found. “Enter into the joy of your master.” Joy in life is found in faithfulness to God.

So I just want to encourage you today to make this your standard of success today and tomorrow and the next day and the next day, all the way until the next world. Faithfulness. Just look at the grace God has given you, down to the very breath and possessions He’s given you; the relationships he’s given you; the skills he’s given you; the opportunities he’s given you; the gifts and talents he’s given you; the resources He’s given you; everything God has entrusted to you. And, ultimately, the gospel, salvation. And live today to steward whatever grace God has given you today for his glory and others’ good and your joy. See how all these go together. This is success in life.

This verse calls us to steward God’s grace for his glory.

God, help us to be successful today. For each of us in our lives, with all that you’ve entrusted to us today, help us to be faithful. God, we want to stand before you one day, by your grace, by your grace alone, and here you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” God, help us then to be faithful with the little things in our lives today, and every moment, with every resource we have, with every breath we have, and every opportunity you give us today. Yes, in school, to work hard, faithfully, because our focus is ultimately on you, not even a teacher in this world. Yes, help us to honor teachers, but we want to work hard for your glory. Help us to be faithful in school, in work. God, yes, help us to honor employers or bosses.

Ultimately, help us to work for your glory. And help us to be faithful to you in the way we work hard and treat those around us. God, we pray that all day long you would help us to be faithful, to shine as light in this world and ways that people might see us and give glory to you in heaven. Lord, help us to be faithful with the gospel, to share the gospel with people today. God, help us to be faithful stewards of the good news of Jesus today. God, we want to be faithful in prayer, in intercession even now for the nations.

Prayer for the Drawa Berber People

We pray for the Atta Drawa Berber people of Morocco. For half a million of them who don’t know the good news of your love in Jesus. Please, oh God, we pray faithfully full of faith. We pray for the spread of the gospel to the Drawa Berber people. God, help us to view faithfulness to you as success in this world and the next world. And to live to hear your “well done, good and faithful servant”. And in the process, to experience the joy that’s found in faithfulness to you alone. In Jesus’ name we pray all these things, according to your Word in Matthew 25:23. Amen.