“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 25:21
I remember when I first got my license. No words can quite capture the level of teenage angst that was released by passing that test.
But I couldn’t quite do anything. My parents had rules about the car. I could only drive in my neighborhood. I could only drive with one other friend in the vehicle. I had to fill up with gas once the tank was empty. I had to be home before 11 p.m.
And, of course I followed these rules meticulously. I knew that eventually my parents would ease up, and I would be given more responsibility. I wanted to prove to them that I could handle more.
In today’s passage, Jesus has a lot to say about people who aren’t responsible with what they’ve been given, and who waste opportunities to be faithful. In the story, the servant who buries the money is thrown out into the darkness.
How we live our lives — in the check out line in the grocery store, the way we treat our spouses, our attitudes at work, how we spend our money, how we treat the poor — these things matter. In every interaction we have a choice: to seize the opportunity to be faithful, or to bury our devotion in the ground.
How are you being faithful in the little things in your life? Just like the master in the story, Jesus promises greater responsibility once we prove that we’re capable of handling the small stuff. Not only that, we get to share in His happiness!
Dear God, thank You for how You have given me so many chances to be faithful to You. Help me to see these opportunities, and to spread Your love to everyone I meet and everywhere I go. Lord, I want to be faithful to You in every area of my life. Please show me the places I haven’t yet given over to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Take Action
Read Matthew 25:14-28. Ask God to reveal opportunities to be faithful to Him, even in the little things.