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Joy of the Master

"Well done, good and faithful servant! over a few things you were faithful, over many things will I set you, enter into the joy of your master."1

This word for good is agathós, it means to be inherently (intrinsically) good, good in nature. It describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him in their life, through faith. How is a servant good? by faith. It is by faith we please God and that faith without love is nothing. Jesus said, labor for food that doesn't perish. By faith we enter into the joy of the master, by faith we please God.

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, it behooves the one drawing near to God to believe that he exists and to those seeking him, a rewarder he becomes."2

God's people should be all about faith as it is impossible to please Him without faith. Men stand before God because of grace, it is by faith in Christ they can approach Him. He is a rewarder, as we learn to trust in him we learn that he is a good good Father, we find that He is of his word, trust worthy, thus being trust worthy is of his nature. Trust is a required element of faith. It is impossible to please Him without faith and as Paul writes faith without love faith is nothing.

"bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."3

The nature of God's love is that it believes or has faith in you, thus it sees the good, the heart worthy. If Love believes and faith pleases God then love and faith are inseparable. We add hope and now, abides faith, hope, and love, the greatest of these is love. Love believes and hopes thus it is greater. We love God because he first loved us, love believes therefore he believed in us first. In fact Paul writes it was his goodness that led us to repentance.4

"moreover that in good soil these are they who in a heart worthy and good, having heard, keep and bear fruit by perseverance."3

Good servants have a heart worthy. This word for worthy, "beautiful, good, worthy." My heavenly Father knows my true nature, he sees my heart that it is good. This is the name God gives his children, unforsakened ones; those who have not been forsakened, those he has chosen, those who do not give up, those who persevere. We are vessels of his mercy, that he prepared beforehand for his glory.4

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."5

Perseverance is key to growing in faith. It is a principle of sowing; good soil requires a heart worthy, but also it requires perseverance as the cares of this life can discourage you. If we make the Christian life all about earthly rewards or blessings we loose sight of the heavenly blessings. Endurance is needed to develop character, as character requires endurance, and it is in suffering that endurance comes, "we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance."6 Learning to trust also requires godly training of discernment, which means sometimes we leap and fall on our face, and so we have grace, get up my son, our heavenly Father says.

"go to the sea and cast a hook and after catching the first fish take from the mouth a coin..."6 

Such a simple word from Jesus. You have heard the term "the devil is in the details," I have found such to be true. You can picture this happening to Peter, look at that old boat and fishing gear, that is not worthy for the Lord's work, we need to buy new things. Now, I have all this new gear, where do I go fishing in the sea? where do I cast the hook? what bait should I use? The devil would use these things to side track us, even condemn us. God is not so concerned with the "boat," not so much with the good works as he is with the workmanship, as his work produces good works. The devil and those who follow him walk by sight, we must walk by faith. 

"It is done. I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, I to the one thirsting will give of the spring of the water of life freely."7

Recently I was having one of those days when faith seems a far stretch and God said, "Go fishing, catch a fish." But all my fishing gear was elsewhere, all I had was a old pole with half rotten line and a rusty hook. But I dug up some worms and went fishing. I got caught up in the details, where should I go... the fish were jumping all over and my old pole and rusty hook isn't catching anything, it was my fault. Finally, I bow my head discouraged. The enemy seeks to discourage us, he uses those who walk by sight to speak things not of faith nor of love into our lives. The gifts are for building up of the body, such is into faith, therefore authority that puts emphasis on obedience without trust eliminates faith in the body. It says you don't need to trust in God, trust in the organization. 

"for building up of the body of Christ until we all reach unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a man grown to measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."7

Christ came in the fullness of Grace and Truth, we can easily associate love and faith as a measure, certainly such speaks to the "how to" in building the body into unity. I have learned to trust Him over the voices of others and those of my past. Trust as in any relationship is something that is developed, earned. The Church should be about being trust worthy and deserving of trust. We learn that our heavenly Father is good, that he is trust worthy, it is his nature and the nature of faith.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me."8

And then He gives me understanding, "go fishing, catch a fish" I believed it, here I am with a hook in the water. He said it and I believed it and it is done! The victory is already won, it is a matter of believing that such is finished, trusting that it is done. He gives his children a new name, overcomer. I went home with a fish, and more importantly with food that doesn't perish. To those of faith, a rewarder he becomes. Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your master.
Oh, I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like 
But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night 
And you tell me that you're pleased 
And that I'm never alone...

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