Faithful in Little, Faithful in Much

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At church this weekend, Pastor Matt Fry continued his series entitled, "ReThink." The series talks about readjusting how we approach about our walk with God. Overall, it was good information.

In this entry, I will explore the idea of being faithful in the little things and the benefits that may follow.

In the Bible, Jesus shares a parable about three servants. He explains that a master is preparing for a trip and calls his three servants for a brief meeting. Before he leaves, he gives them each a number of talents, which is a form of money. The first servant received five talents, the second received two talents, and the third received one talent.

While the master was away, the first and second servant invested their talents while the third buried his under ground. When the master came back home, he found that the first and second servants doubled the amount of their talents. As a result, the master was very pleased and gave them more talents.

Unfortunately, the third servant did nothing and returned with the same talent that was entrusted to him. The master was thoroughly disappointed and cast him out of the house with instructions to never return.

The lesson I gained from this parable is that each of us are entrusted with something. It could be a gift of singing, accounting, or writing books. Beyond skills, knowledge, and abilities, we are also given authority over people and things. How we manage the little things often determines if we get to manage the bigger things.

To apply this in everyday terms, I look to something like a car or house. Many of us may remember our first car or house. Typically, we find ourselves wishing for the big house or fancy car, but only able to afford the base model. It is at this moment that we show the world what we are made of. How do you treat the less valuable things?

In the case of the car and house, do you take care of it? When it needs maintenance, do you make the necessary sacrifices to fix the problem or do you let it slowly fall apart? Do you find value in what you have or do you constantly wish for more?

If you are one of those people that appreciate the used car and treat it like a Mercedes Benz, then I applaud you. It is this type of person that washes, waxes, and even dusts the car. It does not matter if it has the best paint job or even runs all that well, this type of person treats everything they own with respect.

This behavior even runs into their business lives. Individuals who are diligent about treating everything and every opportunity as if it were worth a million dollars are good stewards of their gifts. Based on the story, we find that these individuals are given more because they were faithful with the little bit they had.

As we look to better ourselves, remember that everything from your health to your job is a test of faithfulness. If you can prove your ability to properly care and manage the little things in life then it is more likely you can manage the bigger things.

Therefore, if you ever catch yourself wishing for more money, bigger house, nicer car, more friends, and happier days, then take a look at how you manage what is given you today.

Until next time...