Jump Start # 227

Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

  One consistent theme found throughout the entire Bible is thankfulness to God. We owe everything to God. Spiritually and physically God is literally our life. It doesn’t take much to understand that. Our worship services praise God, and rightly so.

  Is God thankful for us? Have you ever thought of that? Now, we must be careful with this. We are not preaching the gospel of self. That’s a popular message today. Church services, in too many places, are shaped after what the crowd wants rather than what the Bible teaches. Too much of self, gives us the swelled head and a heart full of pride. We are not going that direction. No.

  Our passage today, taken from the parable of the talents shows the response the Master had toward the servants that were good stewards of what was entrusted to them. Notice the words of praise towards the servants, “Well done,” “good,” “faithful.” The Master was pleased. At the end of the day he would be thankful to have such trusted people working for him.

  It is in this sense that God is thankful for us. When He can depend upon us to do what He wanted, when He can count upon us to be there and to stand for Him, God is thankful. When we are busy being busy in His kingdom, God is thankful.

  Thankful for us. Really? Hard to imagine. Can God count on you? Are you dependable? Are you one to worship God as He desires, or are you content to just give God a few Sundays here and there. Are you busy being busy for God?

  God’s people have always been busy people. Moses was busy when God called him. David was busy when God called him. Saul (Paul) was busy when God called him. These people weren’t sitting around idle. They had busy lives, just as we do. God called, and they made time for the Lord. They put God’s agenda at the top of their list.

  God is thankful for the men and women who really try to make a difference. After working all day, and coming home to be a busy parent, they stay up at nights looking over Bible lessons because they have chosen to teach Bible classes. It’s hard. They feel stretched. But they are doing what they can. God notices. God is thankful.

  God is thankful for the men and women who come to worship Him on a regular basis. With these folks, it’s not a hit or miss thing, but each week, and often during the week, they travel down to the church building to hear sermons, to sing praises, to pray and thank the Lord of Hosts. Often, they come with heavy hearts. Problems at home, problems in the world weigh on them, but they come. Others come and they don’t feel so hot. They ache in their legs. They are tired. But they come. They carry a smile and their Bible. They love the Lord and want to praise Him. God notices. He is thankful.

  God is thankful. Shouldn’t you try a bit harder? Shouldn’t take a deep breath and keep going? God is counting on you. He needs you to be that light in your family. He needs you to be the one who is true to Him. He needs you to be that source of strength and integrity. God is counting on you. Can He depend upon you?

  God is thankful. We especially ought to be thankful.

Roger