Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant!

I don’t think there is any doubt that the best words a Christian can hear are “Well done my good and faithful servant” To hear the Creator of the Universe, The Ruler of all that there is, The Redeemer of our souls tell us this is the highest honor that an individual can attain. However, we can only be told this when our earthly journey has ended and we have breathed our last breath. While we are still alive, we are still fighting, striving, contending and growing. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is still spurring us on to perfection. But when our journey is over and we have held to our faith, we are given our approval from the Lord.

Bernice Bell heard her approval from the Lord on June 2, 2008. She was 92 years old! After a 9 month illness, with many operations and hospital stays, she went home to be with the Lord. And what an amazing journey it was. You see my friend to be a Christian is not just a way of life and it’s not just adopting a moral stance on the issues. It’s not just some religion you adopt because it meets your needs. It’s not even something that you can use to get money or get healed by adhering to certain rules or steps. Christianity is God’s gift of Himself to a dying and sin sick world. Christianity is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross for all of our sins, thereby reconciling us to God thru His death. This gift is what Bernice Bell accepted many years ago. And this is what I know.

I know that before Bernice Bell got sick, even though confined to a wheel chair for many years, was full of life, joyful, kind hearted, always ready to talk to you and always willing to tell you of the goodness of the Lord. Like all of us, she had some good days and some bad, but the “gift” had changed her so that she rested in and got strength from the Lord. Most people, half her age cannot do this, even those who profess to be Christian. So to me this was a testimony to her faith. But do you know what is even more amazing? It’s the fact that after she got sick, she was still full of life, and humble and kind hearted and joyful. She was still willing to give you a kind word and tell you of the goodness of the Lord. This makes me realize that her faith, our faith is real. A lifetime spent trusting in God continues with that trust until the end. Bernice Bell trusted in Christ because she knew Him to be her Savior and even when faced with death she was able to have peace and calmness. In times of stress, uncertainty, fear and pain, you cannot produce something that is not there. These are the times that we, so to speak, find out what we are really made of. We find out whether our faith is real or if we have been fooling around for many years. Bernice Bell’s faith was real and this has been a tremendous encouragement to my faith, and I hope yours as well.

All of us who are alive will have our date with destiny. Since the fall in the Garden of Eden we have all been assigned a date with death. We do not know when our appointment is but we do know that it is certain to come. The question is, will our faith be real, like Bernice Bell’s was or will it turn out to be something that will garner this response from the Lord “Depart from me you worker of iniquity”. Only you can answer that question, but if you are alive and are reading this, you can do something about it. Bernice Bell has gone home to be with the Lord, but her life and her faith is still encouraging other people. It’s still encouraging me. It’s still encouraging her family and those who love her! Her faith was on display for all the doctors, nurses and hospital workers to see. Her life can teach us how we ought to live and have faith in God. Her smile can teach us to rest in Him even when things don’t go our way. Her grace can teach us to be strong in the most difficult situations. Her trust in the Lord can teach us to do the same, laying all of our cares at His feet. For the couple of years I knew Bernice Bell, I loved her as if she was my grandmother. Her family loves and cherishes her. Her friends also loved and cared for her. We all learned from her and so should you! A life of faith and trust in the Lord will carry you to your appointment. And after that, if you follow Bernice Bell’s footsteps, you too will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Love you Gran

Matthew 25:21 His master said to him. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.', 'Well done, good and faithful servant.

S.T. Woods