Living for the Words “Well Done”: Are We Prepared to Stand Before Jesus?
“His 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, NKJV
“His 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, NKJV
For many years, the words “Well done, good and faithful servant” have been especially meaningful to me. They became the theme of my life and eventually inspired the name of this blog.
I understood that I wanted to hear Jesus say, “Well done.” But I do not believe I fully understood everything those words represented.
Now I am beginning to see the deeper message within the Parable of the Talents. “Well done” is not simply a comforting phrase spoken at the end of a believer’s earthly life. It is the Master’s approval of a servant who faithfully used what had been entrusted to him.
The servant belonged to his master. The talents belonged to his master. The opportunity came from his master. And when the master returned, the servant gave an account of what he had done.
This parable raises an important question for every follower of Jesus:
What are we doing with the life, time, abilities, resources, opportunities, and truth that our Master has entrusted to us?
Saved by Grace—Created for Good Works
Before discussing service, stewardship, or reward, we must establish the foundation clearly: we cannot earn salvation through good works.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
—Ephesians 2:8–9
Jesus accomplished what we could never accomplish for ourselves. He bore our sin, died in our place, and rose again. We are forgiven and reconciled to God by trusting in Him—not by accumulating religious achievements.
But Paul did not end his teaching with verse 9. The next verse explains what our new life is intended to become:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
—Ephesians 2:10
We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works.
Grace does not make faithful living unnecessary. Grace makes faithful living possible. The One who saves us also transforms us, calls us to follow Him, and prepares work for us to do.
Jesus Did Not Save Us Merely to Wait for Heaven
Many believers understand that Jesus offers forgiveness and eternal life. Yet we may never have been taught clearly what He desires from us after we come to Him.
We can begin to think that Christianity consists mainly of attending church, believing the right doctrines, and waiting for the day we go to Heaven. But Jesus calls us to something much deeper. He calls us to surrender, discipleship, love, obedience, fruitfulness, and service.
Jesus did not save us merely to wait for Heaven. He saved us to belong to Him and to participate in His work while we remain on earth.
He said:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
—Matthew 16:24
Following Jesus means that He is no longer merely part of our lives. He becomes our Lord, our Master, and the One for whom we live.
Surrender is not an attempt to repay Jesus for salvation. His gift is beyond repayment. Surrender is the grateful response of a heart that realizes, “I have been bought at a price. My life belongs to Him.”
The Talents Belong to the Master
In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus described a man traveling to a far country who entrusted his possessions to his servants. One received five talents, another two, and another one—each according to his ability.
The first two servants put what they had received to work. When their master returned, they presented the increase to him. Both heard the same commendation:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
The master did not commend one for having five talents and criticize another for having only two. He commended faithfulness.
That truth should encourage us. Jesus does not require us to possess someone else’s abilities, resources, audience, or opportunities. He asks us to be faithful with what He has placed in our hands.
Some people are entrusted with public ministries. Others serve quietly where few people notice. Some have financial resources to give. Others possess time, compassion, wisdom, hospitality, practical skills, or the ability to encourage someone who is discouraged.
The amount entrusted to us may differ, but every believer has something to steward.
Our time belongs to Him.
Our abilities belong to Him.
Our influence belongs to Him.
Our possessions belong to Him.
Our experiences—even the painful ones He has redeemed—can be used by Him.
The biblical truth He teaches us also becomes something entrusted to us. We are not meant merely to collect truth for ourselves. We should allow it to transform us and, when God provides the opportunity, share it with others.
Why the Third Servant’s Failure Matters
The third servant buried what he had received. He did not lose it through an honest attempt to serve. He refused to use it.
His failure was not that he had received less than the others. His failure was that he did nothing with what his master had placed in his hands.
Christians differ in how they interpret every detail of this servant and his final judgment, so we should be careful not to build our entire understanding of a believer’s eternal security upon this one figure. Nevertheless, the warning within the parable is unmistakable: the Master takes stewardship seriously.
The parable calls us to examine our own hearts:
Have I buried opportunities because I am afraid?
Have I treated my time as though it belongs entirely to me?
Have I allowed comfort, distraction, or worldly priorities to keep me from serving Christ?
Am I using what God has entrusted to me for His purposes?
If Jesus called me to give an account today, would I be glad to present my stewardship to Him?
These questions are not intended to make us earn God’s love. They are intended to awaken us to the eternal importance of the life His love has given us.
We Will Stand Before Christ
Scripture teaches that believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ:
“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 those who belong to Jesus, this is not a second Calvary and not a trial to determine whether His sacrifice was sufficient. Christ bore the condemnation for our sin. Paul declared:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”
—Romans 8:1
The Judgment Seat concerns our stewardship as Christ’s servants. Our work will be examined, and Scripture teaches that both reward and loss are possible:
“Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire.”
—1 Corinthians 3:13
Paul continues by explaining that a believer’s work may endure and receive reward, or be burned and suffer loss, even though the person himself is saved (1 Corinthians 3:14–15).
This is why our choices matter. Our motives matter. How we use our opportunities matters. The ordinary acts of obedience that no one else sees matter to Jesus.
The world measures success by recognition, wealth, influence, and visible accomplishment. Jesus measures faithfulness.
“Well Done” Is About Faithfulness
The servants who received five talents and two talents heard exactly the same words. This teaches us that “Well done” is not reserved for the most famous, gifted, or visibly successful Christians.
It is the commendation of faithful servants.
A mother who patiently teaches her children to love Jesus may be faithfully investing her talents.
A business owner who conducts business with integrity and cares for employees may be serving Christ.
A believer who visits the lonely, feeds the hungry, encourages the discouraged, mentors someone who has lost his way, shares the Gospel, supports ministry, or prays faithfully for others may be building treasure in Heaven.
Even a cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus is noticed by Him.
Many acts that appear small on earth may carry eternal significance because they were performed in love, obedience, and faith.
The question is not, “Did everyone notice what I accomplished?”
The question is, “Was I faithful to what Jesus asked me to do?”
The Mission Many of Us Were Never Taught
My burden is for the many people who may be unprepared to stand before Jesus because they never understood their mission on earth.
Many have been taught about forgiveness but not surrender.
They have heard about Heaven but not stewardship.
They understand that salvation is by grace, but they may not realize that grace calls us into a new life of faithful service.
They have been told how to become a Christian, but not always how to live as a servant who will one day give an account to his Master.
This message should never be used to condemn sincere believers or place them under hopeless fear. It should be spoken as a loving invitation to wake up while there is still time.
As long as we are alive, we can surrender more fully. We can ask God to forgive our wasted opportunities. We can begin using what remains of our time for His purposes. We can stop comparing our assignment with someone else’s and become faithful with what is presently in our hands.
What Has God Placed in Your Hands?
You may feel that you have very little to offer, but the Master is not asking you to produce what He never gave you. He is asking you to surrender what He has already placed in your hands.
Ask Him:
“Lord, what have You entrusted to me?”
“Who have You placed within my reach?”
“What work have You prepared for me?”
“What truth have You taught me that could help someone else?”
“Is there an opportunity I have buried because of fear?”
“How can I use the remainder of my life for Your glory?”
Then remain attentive. The assignment may not arrive as a great public opportunity. It may appear as a person who needs encouragement, a neighbor who needs help, a young believer who needs guidance, a family member who needs prayer, or a quiet act of obedience known only to God.
Faithfulness begins with the next thing Jesus places before us.
Living Prepared to Meet Him
Preparing to stand before Jesus begins with truly belonging to Him. We must turn to Christ, acknowledge our sin, surrender our hearts, and trust in His death and resurrection as our only hope of salvation.
Then, as His people, we should live each day in fellowship with Him:
Receive Christ. Abide in Christ. Surrender to Christ. Bear fruit for Christ. Steward what He entrusts to us. Give an account. Receive His reward. Bring glory to Christ.
We do not know how many days remain before He calls us home. But we do have today.
Today we can pray.
Today we can surrender.
Today we can obey.
Today we can encourage someone.
Today we can invest something temporary in work that carries eternal value.
A Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for saving us by Your grace. Forgive us for the times we have treated our lives as though they belonged only to us. Help us recognize everything You have entrusted to our care. Give us courage to use our time, abilities, resources, experiences, and opportunities for Your purposes. Keep us from comparing our assignment with anyone else’s. Teach us to abide in You, obey Your voice, love others, and remain faithful in both the great and seemingly small responsibilities You place before us. When our earthly lives are finished, and we stand before You, may we hear the words our hearts long to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” May everything we do bring glory to You alone. Amen.
I’m Well Done Blog
https://imwelldone.blogspot.com/
Image Question: Interesting image, but what are you implying that is in the bag in the man's right hand, good works?
Yes—the bag is intended to represent the talents entrusted to the servant, not a collection of good works used to purchase entrance into Heaven.
In the Parable of the Talents, a “talent” was originally a large unit of money or weight. In the artwork, the servant is carrying the Master’s entrusted resources back to Him. Symbolically, the bag represents everything placed into the believer’s care:
- Time and opportunities
- Abilities and spiritual gifts
- Resources and influence
- Truth and experience
- Acts of obedience and service
- The fruit produced through a surrendered life
It is important to clarify that the servant is not bringing payment for salvation. The open gates should represent the welcome already secured through Christ’s grace. The bag represents the account of his stewardship—what he did with what belonged to the Master.
The visual message is:
“Lord, everything You entrusted to me belonged to You. By Your grace, I sought to use it faithfully and now return it to You.”
I think the bag adds meaning once it is explained, but your question reveals a possible weakness: some viewers may interpret it as carrying good works to earn admission into Heaven. To prevent that misunderstanding, the artwork could be revised by removing the bag and showing the servant approaching with open, empty hands. That would emphasize complete dependence upon grace, while the title and Matthew 25:21 retain the stewardship message.
The present image illustrates the Parable of the Talents more directly; an empty-handed version would communicate the grace-versus-works distinction more immediately.
See Part 2 Tomorrow
