Everything that God has done, going to the cross, sending the Holy Spirit, making it possible to heal brokenness, is done to release the fullness of God’s incredible gift and the expression of himself, you, to the world. For when you are able to be your true self, the fullness of your own identity, the presence of God is able to flow through you so well that you deliver his presence to others. That is the definition of his glory, the proof of his presence.
That is the lesson of Matthew chapter 25. This chapter gives us three stories, each building on the last until we see that our final judgement is based on the expression of the heart of God through us in our everyday lives. In other words, being the real you in your daily life, the person you were designed to be, is God’s highest calling for any of us.
The first parable in the chapter, the parable of the ten virgins, tells of two virgins, some of whom had oil for their lamps and some didn’t. When the master returned, those without oil were not allowed in with the master. The oil is a symbol for the Messiah. This is the foundation. We must have Christ as our Savior.
The second parable shows us what we are to do with the presence of Christ in our lives. This is the parable of the talents. Here, a master gives talents of gold to his servants and wants it invested. The gold is a symbol for Christ. It is the things of Christ given to each of us in our hearts. Investing the gold is simply letting the person of God express himself in a personal and natural way, just by being yourself, in daily life.
In the next story, Jesus shows us what the parable of the talents looks like in action. This is the story is the final judgment. This story is not symbolic. Here nothing is veiled. Jesus judges people by showing them how they lived out what was in their hearts. For those who knew him, those who had the gold of the talents in their heart and invested it, Jesus shows how they invested their heart: visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, and so on. This list is not a specific list of fulfilled commandments. It is a set of examples similar to providing a child a cup of cold water to drink. These people were scarcely aware of what they were doing. This is just the natural way they lived with Christ in their hearts. To them, these acts were just part of their lives. They weren’t special ministries or callings. They were expressions of their heart and therefore expressions of the heart of God.
Your own identity, the way you were uniquely made, is an expression of the heart of God. When you live out the expressions of your heart in intimacy with God, you are doing everything he put you here to do. Every time you love someone or show kindness, you are showing people God’s heart. It doesn’t matter whether you are a full-time minister, a professional in the work place, or a stay-at-home mom. There are people around you who need to experience the heart of God. Just by being yourself with God in you, you are giving the world the greatest gift you can give, the heart of God.
This is not about numbers or the type of assignment you have in the kingdom. It is about people. God is not concerned about numbers. He is infinite, and he can do whatever he wants with numbers. He is concerned about people, heart encounters, quality over quantity. This is not about perfection. It is about being the you he designed you to be, loving others and sharing his heart. This is why we heal brokenness. The purpose of binding up the brokenhearted is to restore the identity God gave you before the foundation of the world so that you are free to be the personal expression of God’s heart to those he has put in your life