Success in God's Eyesنموونە

Be Faithful

The first measure of success in God's Eyes is Faithfulness. Faithfulness simply means that you have been faithful in stewarding what God has given you.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus told a parable about a man who had three servants. At the core, this parable is a lesson in Faithfulness. Jesus started the story this way,

"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one, he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey" (Matthew 25:14-15).

The master gave each person a sum of his money. What is translated as "bags of gold" or "talent" is actually a measurement of weight. Each talent would be approximately 70 pounds of gold or silver! The master distributed the talents at his own discretion and based on their individual abilities. He did not give them all equal amounts. One of the servants was given five talents, another was given two talents, and the third servant received one talent. There is an important lesson in even these few short lines.

God does not make us all exactly alike, and He does not entrust us all with the same things.

He entrusts some people with more and others with less. In the story, the servants did not have a say in what amount they received, but they did have a say in how they would steward what they had been given.

Jesus continued the story,

"After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"The man with two bags of gold also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.'

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness" (Matthew 25:19-23)!

The first two servants each returned with a profit. The servant given five came back with five more, and the one with two came back with two more. The thing that seems strange to us as we read the story is that although each brought back different profits, they both got the exact same response from the master.

How does that make any sense?

Why would the person who had earned two talents receive the same commendation as the one who had earned more than double that amount? Certainly, in the eyes of the world, the servant who returned with a profit of five would have received greater praise and commendation than the one who returned with a profit of only two.

The main point of the story is that praise is not based on profit. The master was not evaluating success by the numbers. What mattered most, and what they were praised for, was that they were Faithful with what had been entrusted to them.

The world praises the numbers, but God praises Faithfulness.

What has God given you? As you think seriously about that for a moment, you will realize that it is a very long list. God is the Source of your talents, education, skills, abilities, bank account, and everything else. He has also given you at least one spiritual gift- and probably more.

Do you know your spiritual gifts? Are you using them?

When it comes to our lives, God owns it all, and He calls us to steward what He has given to us for His Glory. One day, you will stand before the Lord and give an account. When the Master asks, "What did you do with what I entrusted to you?" How will you respond?

Whatever is on your schedule today, be Faithful. Bring the Lord a return on His investment in you.

To your spouse, be Faithful.

To your kids, be Faithful.

In your finances, be Faithful.

In your job or schooling, be Faithful.

Make it your goal today to be Faithful in everything God has entrusted to you so that you can say without reservation, "Lord, I was faithful today."

One thing is certain: we all want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share in your master's happiness!"

Question for reflection:

When the Master asks, "What did you do with what I entrusted to you?" how will you respond?