"He
said to him, 'Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with
very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'
- Luke 19:17
It
is remarkable how much the Word of God makes of faithfulness - simple
faithfulness. It is not great things that God requires of us unless our mission
is to do great things; He asks only that we be faithful in the duties that come
to our hand in our commonplace days. That means that we do all our work as well
as we can; that we serve well in the varied relationships of life in which from
time to time we find ourselves; that we stand heroically in our lot, resisting
temptation and continuing true and loyal to God; and that we fulfil our mission
in all ways according to the grace given unto us, using every gift and talent
for the glory of God and the good of the world. The world crowns
“success;” God crowns “faithfulness.”
Jesus
tells us that faithfulness in this life lifts us to places of authority
hereafter. So, then, life here is only a trial to see what we are capable of
doing. It is after all a real probation to find out who may be set over large
trusts. And the real life is to be begun in the other world. Those who prove
faithful here will have places of responsibility in the kingdom of
glory.
This
ought to give a new and mighty motive to our living in this world. Our eternal
honor and employment will depend upon the degree of our faithfulness here. good
men and women often say at the close of their lives, “If I could only begin
now, with all my experience, I could live my life much better.” Well, if
they have been faithful, that is the very thing they will be permitted to do in
the next world. A mother who had brought up a large family said: “I have just
learned now how to train children. I could do it well if I could begin it
again.” If she has learned this, that is just what Christ wanted her to
learn. Now she is ready for full service in His kingdom.