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
When we think of David, one of the first thoughts that come to mind for most of us is usually how he defeated Goliath and became king. (See 2 Samuel 16-17) When we think of Gideon, most of us often think about how the Lord used him to lead an army of three hundred men in victory over a large Midianite army (See Judges 7). We think of Ruth, and all we remember is how Boaz pursued her and married her. (See Ruth 1-4)
We often think of the people in the previous paragraph and remember the big things that happened to/for them, but what we fail to realize is that prior to those big things happening; they had all proved faithful to God in little things. David was a shepherd boy, and he had worked hard and faithfully at this. While Saul was still king of Israel, he was tormented by an evil spirit, and he needed to find someone who played the harp to make him feel better, and one of his servants knew of a boy named David. One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.” (See 1 Samuel 16:14-23) Someone noticed his faithfulness in the ‘small insignificant things.’
Gideon, before he was called to lead the Israelite army, was obedient when called to tear down his father’s altar to Baal, cut down the Asherah pole, build an altar to the Lord, and sacrifice burnt offerings on it. (See Judges 6:22-27). Most of us often overlook this part of Gideon’s journey, but I am certain that his obedience in the ‘small insignificant things’ had something to do with why the Lord entrusted him with the big things.
Ruth, after losing her husband clung to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and vowed never to leave her alone. This was an amazing expression of loyalty and selfless devotion because Naomi had nothing to offer but a life of desolation. Ruth not only clung to her mother-in-law, but she also worked hard to provide for them, picking up left-over grain in the fields, a benefit that the law of Moses called for in order to provide food for the poor, foreigners, widows and orphans. (See Ruth 1-2) In fact, Boaz noticed her because of her hard work on the field; he noticed her faithfulness in the ‘small insignificant things.’
None of these people knew what God had in store for them, but they were still faithful in the ‘small insignificant things.” Are you faithful with the little that God has entrusted to you now or are you still waiting for a ‘big moment’ before you begin to exercise faithfulness? We look at people around us that have achieved big things and we whine and complain about how things like that never happen to us, but what we do not see or fail to consider are the years of hard work, faithfulness, and commitment that those people endured prior to their big moments.
For years, I admired the wealth and success of an entrepreneur, Christopher Gardner, and I always wanted to work in a company like his. I thought he was lucky and knew the right people, but after reading one of his speeches in a magazine and watching his life story in a movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, I realized that he was a homeless man that worked tirelessly to achieve the success that he now enjoys. I saw and admired the end result and wanted the same, but when I realized the hard work and dedication that preceded it, I reconsidered.
What ‘small insignificant things’ has the Lord entrusted to you? What are you doing with them? Do you despise them because they are small and insignificant? Or are you faithful in them because you are that good and faithful servant in Matthew 25:21?
Grace and peace be with you.
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SMALL INSIGNIFICANT THINGS