I was thinking about a parable from Matthew 25 Jesus shared regarding those giving an account to their Master upon His return. We will go to that passage in just a moment.
I believe that the rapture, part one of the return of Christ, is imminent. We will, very soon, be standing before the One who redeemed us from the curse of sin. He loved us enough to take our sins upon His guiltless life on the cross. We will stand before the One to whom we will give an account. We will stand before Jesus. We will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5), and that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10).
There are many songs that talk about the moment that we stand before Jesus. One of the songs I thought of as I began to put my thoughts together was, “I Can Only Imagine.” The song talks about what we will do when we stand in His Presence (or fall on our knees), but I couldn’t help but think what will He do when I stand before Him and more specifically what will He say to me? What will I hear when I stand before Him?
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).
I want to hear, more than anything else, well done good and faithful servant. As an important reminder, He has paid the price for you and me to be in His presence. There is nothing we can do to earn it. Nothing. He has shown us that goodness and faithfulness does not come from something we drum up; it is something He provided by His Spirit. Goodness and faithfulness come from His Spirit not from our own well of “goodness and faithfulness.”
He even supplies the “want to.” Philippians 2:13 tells us for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
He gives us His Spirit when we are born again. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22).
In John 15 Jesus makes it even clearer. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4).
We can hear those beautiful words, well done good and faithful servant by abiding in Him and by Him producing the fruit of His Spirit as He lives in us. Goodness, faithfulness, love, joy, all of it is by His Spirit alone.
If we insist on living our lives claiming our “spiritual” talents we think we’ve learned, we will end up hearing much different words from Jesus.
Can you imagine hearing words like these? Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21)
For you who practice lawlessness, trying to do things our way and circumvent His plan is not the way. He is the One who gave us relationship with Him. He is the One with the plan; there is no other. Religion and spirituality are lawlessness because they are not from Him.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” You can believe it and receive it from Him, His life, righteousness, goodness, and faithfulness.
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).
How blessed I am to be part of the family of rescued ones here in Red Bluff and around the world. So blessed because He rescued me.
Roxanne Cunningham can be reached at roxiegodtalk@yahoo.com.
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May 15, 2021 at 02:54AM
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God Talk: The words I want to hear - Red Bluff Daily News
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