James tells us that, “…faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about talents given to three servants and how they used – or didn’t use, those talents. For the two servants that used their talents for work, the master responds with the words, “well done, good and faithful servant.” For the one who didn’t use his talent but buried it instead, the words were a little different. I believe they were condemning.
We spend a lot of time, energy, and money on celebrating the fact that Jesus came into the world. I wonder how much effort we give in preparing for His return. Each of us has work to do before we actually stand face-to-face with Jesus. Like the servants in the parable, we too are given resources for the Master’s work. They were given money; we’re given money, but also time, energy, natural talents, spiritual gifts, and help from the Holy Spirit. We must not waste these resources that God, the master has given us. We must spend them for his work—not just for ourselves.
In doing “good works”, we must always check our hearts. This isn’t about earning our way into Heaven, but rather, it’s about trusting our Master and following him into a better kind of life.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:10, “…we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”