Faithful with a Few

In the parable of the talents, Jesus tells about two faithful servants who received remarkable words of approval and blessing. One man had five talents and another two, but they both took the talents they were given and multiplied them. Pleased with their productivity, the master gave each one exactly the same commendation: "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, 23).

Isn't that an interesting twist? "You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things."

We tend to reverse the order and make it our main goal to be "in charge of many things." We admire the woman who wins a lot of friends. We envy the man who accumulates a lot of money. We applaud the leader who manages a large company or preaches for a large church. It doesn't sound very impressive to be "faithful with a few things," but often that's what the Lord asks us to do.

Be faithful with a few talents. No one has a thousand special abilities, but all of us have at least one. Don't waste your gifts. Use them for the glory of God!

Be faithful with a few years. Even if you live 100 years, a century is merely a clock-tick in the flow of eternity. Don't waste time. Serve God today—and every day he grants you.

Be faithful with a few people. The Lord may give you the opportunity to lead a large company or a large church—and even if he doesn't, you might be surprised how many people you influence. But you can't measure your self-worth by the number of people who know your name. What about the small circle where your influence is felt most keenly? Are you faithful with your family? With your coworkers? With your next-door neighbors? With young Christians who look to you for leadership?

In The Master Plan of Evangelism (Baker Publishing, 2006), Robert Coleman observes that even though Jesus drew large crowds, he focused on training 12 men. Coleman asks, "Why did Jesus deliberately concentrate his life upon comparatively so few people? Had he not come to save the world?" The answer is, "Jesus was not trying to impress the crowd, but to usher in a kingdom." The best way to reach the masses, Coleman argues, is to disciple people one by one in small groups. "One must decide where he wants his ministry to count—in the momentary applause of popular recognition or in the reproduction of his life in a few chosen men who will carry on his work after he has gone. Really it is a question of which generation we are living for."

Do you want to accomplish big things for the Lord? Start by being faithful with a few.