Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Matthew 25:21
To hear the words of our Lord, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” when our end has come on the earth would be a great joy. May this be the words we all hear when our time has come to an end. Well done, thou good and faithful servant, I pray is what Queen Elizabeth hears as she enters into heaven. In the world today, we would rather fight our way to the top of some kind of glory or status symbol, but for Queen Elizabeth it was handed down the throne of rulership. In 1952 Queen Elizabeth was not afraid to ask for prayer before her coronation. This was quoted in the written obituary of Christianity Today online news . . .
“I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day,” she said, “to pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.”
Died: Queen Elizabeth II, British Monarch Who Put Her Trus…… | News & Reporting | Christianity Today
As we all mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth, let us remember that every human being will give an account of their “talents,” along with every ruler around the world. Stewardship is very important to our Lord in how we use what God has given us. We are given a special talent to the work of our hands to which the Lord blesses. We must remember that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” [see Matthew 12:34]. This bears much thought and meditation to give heed to what the written word states.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Matthew 12:35-36
It is the heart that determines the path of men either for good or bad. Can we say along with the Queen, “I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad.” How much have you relied on your own faith in Christ Jesus? Our identity is at stake along with a sense of belonging for every individual living in the world. Let us consider where we each stand on this day. It is a time to evaluate our own heart before the Lord God. As the Queen has said that our responsibilities go way beyond ourselves. Any selfish desires are put aside for the good of all. We must all be faithful to what we were called to do in this world. We must all ask God through the Holy Spirit to guide us in the path we should take. Whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God.
What will our Christian conduct be during the time we now live in? We are to be soberminded and watch as we pray not only for ourselves but for our brothers and sisters and those who rule over us. We should have a heartfelt love for each other and be hospitable. We find these words in 1st. Peter chapter four.
But the end of all things is at hand; be ye, therefore, soberminded, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent love among yourselves; for love shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
1 Peter 4:7-10
We are to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Let us repent if there is anything that is with-holding us from being good stewards. Remember that God resisted the proud but gives grace to the humble. These past years has seen many challenges in all areas of our life. It is time to take stock of ourselves and to consider where our identity and the sense of belonging lies in. Is it in Christ Jesus or is it in something else. Only you yourself can answer this question. Our faith is in Christ Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith [see Hebrews 12:2]. Let us stand on a sure foundation where Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone [see Ephesians 2:20]. Let us then grow into a holy temple in the Lord where we are built up into a habitation of God through the Spirit [see Ephesians 2:20-22]. We belong to God and our inheritance is in God alone. This is our identity and sense of belonging.
As we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, let us cast all our cares upon Him who cares for us. Let us be sober, for the devil, like a roaring lion is walking about seeking someone to devour. Let us stand fast in our faith knowing that there are brothers and sisters in the world who are also under afflictions, pain and distress [ see 1 Peter 5:7-9]. We are to have patience like Job who suffered many things and is said in verse 22 of Job chapter one, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God with folly.” The Lord was merciful with Job, and He is merciful to all those who belong to him. Even though we may suffer for a while, our God is perfecting, establishing, strengthening and settling us in our vocation and life here upon the earth until our time has ended.
Will we follow Christ’s example like Queen Elizabeth who exclaimed in 2016 Christmas Broadcast, “billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.” We can learn from the words of the queen as well as from the word of the apostle Paul who tells us to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold of eternal life, but not before he stated to flee from the temptation of coveting and money.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.”
1 Timothy 6:11
Can we follow after these things as stated above? Can we flee from the temptation of coveting and money. God has surely blessed Queen Elizabeth but remember no one can walk in her shoes. She took her vows seriously and worked hard through the years and has endured many hardships. She has encouraged many to carry on, for each day is a new day. Each day we are given opportunities to do good unto others. What value do you have in doing small things with great love? Let us follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness and continue to do small things with great love. I thank God for Queen Elizabeth’s service to her people. Let us continue to pray for the Royal family and other leaders throughout the world. May God bless us all richly in the name of Jesus, Amen.
