Faithful with a Few Things

The desire to have more, manage more, control more is inexhaustible. You may have never wondered this, but I have, things like why God will not allow me to be responsible for more ministries and opportunities? Years ago, my wife and I taught ten classes on the marriage relationship at the Holiday Inn Express. As I was sending out the invitations and posting the big banner outside the hotel, I thought to myself, “We are not going to have enough space.” The hotel had agreed to let us use the breakfast area for a minimal cost, but in my mind, I could see half of the married couples from the small town near by showing up. I was gushing with optimism until we held our first meeting. Eight couples showed up and my ego and optimism got flattened. I called a mentor friend who counsels married couples to be consoled and to share with him my disappointment. I’ll never forget his reply when I told him how many couples showed up. He said, “Good.” I interrupted him thinking he didn’t hear me right, but he heard me right, and I heard him right. He said, “Good” and went on to say that just eight couples bring more issues in their marriages than I would be able to handle and counsel. I found out he was right. The lesson I was learning was that God knows our abilities, and God has a criterion or a model he uses to determine our readiness for more opportunities and responsibilities. It’s found in a parable in Matthew 25:23:

“His lord said to him, ‘Well [done,] good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 

Right now you may be wondering or even frustrated as to why you have not gotten the spiritual promotion you thought you deserved. There could be any number of reasons, but this is one God showed me to focus on. Don’t worry about the “many things,” just manage, pray over, be faithful with the “few things.” By the time we reached the midway point through the marriage classes, I was so thankful God had given a few to minister to and not many.  Be faithful with a few things!