Faithful in Little

Author Mary DeMuth had a very honest and compelling blog post last Friday about being Faithful in Little. I identified with her comments and have continued to think about the importance of faithfulness and how easy it is to get discouraged with the “little.” (You can read Mary’s blog post here.)

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest in greater responsibilities” (Luke 16:10 NLT).

God Does Reward

This verse has always implied to me that if I am faithful in little things, God will give me greater things. The Parable of the Talents supports this when the master says to the servant who multiplied what the master gave him, “You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward” (Luke 19:17 NLT).

Like Mary, sometimes I feel like I’ve been faithful in little things for a really long time. You start to wonder when the Lord will reward for being faithful in little things. When will He give greater responsibilities? I love being faithful because I know it pleases the Lord, and that’s what I want most of all. But I also love Bigger, Greater and More!

I love big crowds. (I grew up in big churches.) I love reaching Lots of people! I pray for God to “expand my influence” for Him. And I really do want it to be for and about Him. Don’t I?

In His Time

A thought occurred to me . . . What if being faithful in little encompasses all of my time on earth? What if my “reach” and “influence” is always small by the world’s (and today’s social media!) standards? What if the “more” and “greater” is in heaven? Perhaps those ten cities I want to rule wait for me in eternity. Perhaps the greater tasks the Lord has for me won’t be revealed until then.

My Choice

Well, then…I will be faithful. In the little things. For however long the Lord wills. My life is His. It is about Him. I will influence the ones He has given me to the very best of my ability for Him.

And I will remember Galatians 6:9 as well. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV) Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest. At the proper time, those seeds of faithfulness will reap a harvest of righteousness. As the Lord wills.

Rejoice!

So, let’s rejoice in the little, knowing that even the “little” is big in God’s eyes and is probably having more of an impact than we realize. Faithfulness, by definition, will be over a long period of time. Let us be steadfast, unmoved. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and the joy He brings us. Let’s stay encouraged and encourage those around us!

Are you being faithful with the little God has already given you?

Do you need to encourage yourself today with God’s Word to continue in faithfulness?

(If so– Be Encouraged! I’m cheering you on!)