Wednesday, January 17, 2018
In a well-known burger establishment you all are familiar with, the person taking your order will ask you, “how do you want your burger?” Now, I’m pretty sure we all know some folks whose immediate answer would be, “huge” or “fast” but the answer they are seeking are “rare”, “medium-rare”, etc. Well, one fellow who asked for his burger to be prepared “medium rare” quickly discovered that his had been cooked all the way. When he took it back to the counter, he angrily told the cashier “my burger was well done!” She quickly replied “thank you.” Obviously, she mistakenly took it as a compliment. You see, this was one of those rare occasions when the phrase “well done” was not a good thing.
There is a “well done”, however, children of God everywhere are longing to hear. They are familiar with the parable Jesus gave in the 25th Chapter of Matthew when He welcomed one of His into glory with these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (verse 21) They too are longing to hear these words. To these folks, it is okay if others don’t notice the good things they do. They know there is One who knows and sees all things. In fact, there is one “good thing” many of God’s children do that is seldom seen by others. It is when what you did or said impacted the recipient’s life forever, especially if it brought him or her to Christ.
If you were walking through a garden which was filled with beautiful plants, shrubs, or flowers, the ones you yourself planted would give you the greatest satisfaction and joy. I think Heaven will be like that garden. One day, we will go through it for the first time. Many, many people we know and love will be there. The ones which will give us the greatest joy, however, will be the ones we planted, the ones we personally brought to Christ. These are the ones I especially long to see in Heaven someday. If you love others like you love Christ, there may be some in Heaven today who are there because you led them to Jesus. What a joyful day that will be!
God’s word for today: (Daniel 12:3) “Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.”
