Well Done

One day every one of us will stand before God and give an account of our lives. The Bible says it plainly:

“For all of us must be laid open before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what matches the things done in the body, whether good or worthless.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

“So each of us will have to give an account of ourselves” (Romans 14:12).

For a Christian, this is not a judgment about whether we will be saved. That was settled at the cross. Paul says that “those who are in Christ Jesus now face no sentence of condemnation” (Romans 8:1). But it is a judgment of our works, our faithfulness, the way we used what God entrusted to us. And that includes our money.

Give an account

Jesus’ parable of the unjust manager begins with these words from the master: “What is this that I keep hearing about you? Hand in a report on how you have managed my affairs, because you cannot be my manager any longer” (Luke 16:2).

That day is coming for every steward. John Wesley preached a sermon on exactly this, called “The Good Steward.” He reminded his hearers that our time as stewards will end, and then we will give an account. Our bodies, our minds, our time, our talents, our money: all of it was lent to us by God, and we will report on how we used it.

That should not terrify a Christian. But it should sober us. It means our choices matter. It means that what we do with money today has eternal consequences.

The joy of the master

Remember the words of the master in the parable of the talents: “Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You proved faithful in small matters; I will put you in charge of great ones. Come in and share the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

Imagine hearing that from Jesus. Imagine the One who gave everything for you looking at your life, including the way you handled your money, and saying, “Well done.” All the small acts of faithfulness: the tithes given when it was hard, the honest invoices, the secret gifts, the debts paid off, the poor neighbour helped, the missionary supported, the child taught to give. All of it seen, all of it remembered, all of it rewarded.

“For God is not so unfair as to forget your work and the love you have shown for His name by serving His holy people, and by serving them still” (Hebrews 6:10).

Treasure in heaven

Jesus urged us to “pile up treasures for yourselves in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). What does that mean? It means that what we give away in this life, for the sake of Christ and His kingdom, isn’t lost. It is sent ahead. Every gift to the poor, every offering to God’s work, every sacrifice for the gospel, is stored up where moths and rust and thieves can’t touch it.

C. T. Studd, the English cricketer who gave away a fortune to become a missionary, once wrote a little verse that many people have repeated since: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” It’s true of our money too. Only what is given for Christ will last.

Not earned, but rewarded

It is important to be clear here. We are not saved by our giving. Salvation is a free gift. You can’t buy your way into heaven, and you don’t need to. Jesus paid it all.

But the Bible does teach that God rewards His children for faithfulness, and that there are degrees of reward. Jesus spoke of some who would be put in charge of ten cities and others of five. Paul spoke of works that survive the fire and works that are burned up. We don’t fully understand what these rewards will be. But we know that God is generous, and that He delights to reward His servants far beyond what they deserve.

That changes how we think about money. Every pound or dollar that passes through our hands is an opportunity to lay up treasure that will last forever.

Living with the end in view

Here is one way to make decisions about money. Before you spend a large amount, or decide what to give, or take on a debt, ask yourself: “How will this look on the day I give an account?” Not with fear, but with honesty.

That question has a way of clearing the fog. It shows us what really matters. It makes the new car or the bigger house look less important, and the struggling family or the missionary or the church plant look more important. It helps us to live, as Paul said, so that we “take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Grace to the end

If you have read this far and feel that you have been a poor steward, don’t despair. Every one of us has failed with money in some way. The thief on the cross had nothing to give and no time to give it, and Jesus welcomed him into paradise. God’s grace is bigger than our failures.

Start where you are. Repent of what needs repenting of. Receive His forgiveness. Then, from today, begin to be faithful with what He has given you. It is never too late to start laying up treasure in heaven.

A voice from the past

In his sermon “On Riches,” John Wesley held out this hope for every believer:

“Be a good steward of the manifold gifts of God; that when you are called to give an account of your stewardship, he may say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!’”

And Thomas à Kempis, centuries earlier, pointed beyond all gifts to the Giver:

“If you have wealth, do not glory in it, nor in friends because they are powerful, but in God Who gives all things and Who desires above all to give Himself.”

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Practice this week

Take an hour this week to think and pray about this question: “If I gave an account of my stewardship today, what would I be glad of? What would I wish I had done differently?” Write down one change you want to make, and make it.

For groups

• How do you feel about the idea of giving an account of your money to God? Why?
• What is the difference between being saved by works and being rewarded for works?
• Read Matthew 25:21. What would it mean to you to hear those words?
• What is one decision you face right now that would look different “with the end in view”?