Good and Faithful 良善与忠心
“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.’”
Author: Rev Ng Eng Keng
Translated by: Ps Andrew Xu
The major theme of the gospel of Matthew is the “kingdom of God”. This term is mentioned 26 time in Matthew’s account of the gospel. Whenever Matthew the “kingdom of God” is mentioned, it always brings into focus the ultimate sovereignty of God and His completed work of salvation. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus, through a parable, shows us the life qualities a follower of Jesus must have to receive commendation from God. What God places value not on the follower’s gifts and abilities, nor is it the achievements we show in the end. So, what does God value? Let us learn from how the master commend his servant in this parable and reflect on the kind of qualities God is really looking for:
Good
Goodness is one of the qualities born out of the fruit of the spirit. What “goodness” emphasizes is not a kind of outward appearance, but kind of “kindness” from within that is founded upon the person’s character and values. Before we know Jesus, it is impossible for us to understand and live out “goodness” fully. Only when we know the Lord and with the Holy Spirit residing in us, can our lives turn from darkness and into the “light”. From then on, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to live a life that is genuinely good.
Faithful
Did not 1 Corinthians 4:2 also reminded us that: “the requirement of a steward is faithfulness”? What God requires of a person who serves Him is that he remains faithful to God and to the task God assigns. We must continually fulfill our responsibilities as stewards to the tasks that the Lord have entrusted unto us, finishing them faithfully until it is done.
Dear brothers and sisters, as servants of God, if we can be commended by Him as a good and faithful servant, it is the highest honor and glory a servant can receive. The outcome of this parable is that this servant who is good and faithful received great rewards from the master. May we strive to serve God with all our strength, faithfully, not to please man, but to please God and to bring glory to His name!
“主人对他说：‘又良善又忠心的仆人哪，你作得好！你既然在不多的事上忠心，我要派你管理许多的事。进来，享受你主人的快乐吧！’”
文/黄永庆牧师
马太福音主要的主题就是“天国”。“天国”这一个用词在书中共出现了32次。而在讲论“天国”时，所带出的重点乃是神至终的掌权与救赎的完成。在25章14-30节，耶稣藉着比喻，让我们看到被神所称赞的跟随者必需有的生命素质。神所看重的，并不是我们的才干与恩赐的多寡，也不是你所交出的成果是如何。今天，让我们从主人对仆人的赞许，来反思跟随者应有的生命特质：
⒈良善
“良善”是圣灵所结果子的一个层面。所强调的，不是一种外在的表现，而是内在一种“善良”的生命素质与价值。当我们还未认识耶稣之前，是无法全面与真正的活出良善。唯有当我们认识主之后，因为圣灵的内住，生命得以从黑暗，转而进入“光明”。从那一刻开始，我们就能够靠着圣灵，活出真正的“良善”。
⒉忠心
哥林多前书4：2岂不是这么说：「对于管家的要求，就是要他忠心」。神对一位服事者的一个重要的要求，就是要他能够忠心。我们必需不断的在主所托付的工作上，履行身为“管家”所应尽的本分，“忠心”的把祂所托付的工作做到最完善。
亲爱的弟兄姐妹，对一位服事主的人，能被主所称赞为“善良”又“忠心”的仆人，那是一个非常崇高与极重无比的荣耀。在这个比喻的最终结果，让我们看到一位“良善”与“忠心”的服事，他们将会得到主人更大的赏赐。但愿我们都能殷勤与忠心的服事主，不是要讨人的欢心，乃是要满足主的心、荣耀主的名！