September 9, 2003

“RARE, MEDIUM, OR WELL DONE?”

Most Christians are hungry to live a meaningful life, one that involves service or ministry that makes a difference. They order up a juicy steak from the Lord’s Ministry Menu. The Lord says, “How do want that steak done?”

Some Christians immediately order “Rare!” They would feel unfulfilled, maybe even like a failure, if their life was just average. They want to do something special for the Lord. They want to make their mark. They don’t want to follow the well-worn trail, but to blaze a new one. Their order is “Rare!”

Other Christians are less adventurous. Their order is “Medium!” They don’t want to take any chances on messing up. They’d like to just blend into the crowd. Their order is as safe as possible: “Medium!”

But others order their Christian service steak “Well done!” All they care about is that in the end they will hear from the Lord “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). They don’t want to be celebrated as “famous and successful” servants—that would be rare. They don’t want to blend in as “cautious and careful” servants—settling for medium. Only the Lord’s evaluation that they have been “good and faithful” in their work for him will satisfy them—they want to hear his “Well done!”

Actually, in a restaurant I’m a medium-rare steak guy. When you order well done, you sometimes get dry and leathery. But when it comes to ordering a life of service for the Lord, I hope I will never settle for less than “Well done!”

When you’re ordering from the Lord’s Ministry Menu, the steak-stakes are always higher.

–Pastor George Van Alstine