“The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:20–21 NLT)

 

As a young man, Alan Redpath was a successful accountant. One day, he was talking with a Christian friend who told him, “Alan, it is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life.” Redpath couldn’t forget those words. He knew he was guilty of having a saved soul and a wasted life. He prayed, “Lord, I want Your will for me. I don’t want to waste my life. I dedicate it to You.” God redirected his course, and Redpath ultimately became an evangelist, pastor, author, president of a missions organization, and dean of a Bible school. He served the Lord faithfully until the end of his life.

Do you see anything familiar in Alan Redpath’s story? Has it ever occurred to you that you might have a saved soul but a wasted life? In other words, you have the assurance of Heaven, but you’re wasting your life here on earth. You’re not serving Christ to the fullest.

Every person’s life is filled with opportunities to serve the Lord. What we do with those opportunities is the difference between a successful life and a wasted life, as far as the Lord is concerned. Do we let the opportunities slip by? Or do we seize the day and serve the Lord to the fullest so that we can hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”?

If you desire to hear those words, then make a change in your life like Alan Redpath made. Take what God has given you and make the most of it. You might say to yourself, “But I don’t have much.” You have everything you need. You have God’s most precious gift, Jesus Christ. You have the Holy Spirit to empower you.

You also need to remember that God has instilled in you certain gifts for His glory. The apostle Peter wrote, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen” (1 Peter 4:10–11 NLT).

That means your life is valuable. Take what God has given you and dedicate it to His glory. Just watch what He will accomplish.

 

Reflection question: What would serving Christ to the fullest look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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