Faithful Not Successful

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - Colossians 3:23,24

 Mother Theresa is quoted as saying, "God does not require that we be successful, only that we be faithful." She spoke of the value of faithfulness over success. And so did Jesus.

 It is both humbling and freeing to know that those of us who have not found ourselves high on the ladder of success are highly valued in our low positions and rewarded for our faithful service. The daily grind is service to the Lord when done with all of our heart. 

 Do you mean to tell me that designing a business system at my place of employment will bring eternal reward for me? Are you saying as I care for my family and run my household well that God is filling my eternal home with good things? Can it be that as I study faithfully and work hard in school that the Lord is looking down on me with pleasure and beefing up my inheritance in Him?

 Yes, whatever you do. The mundane, the exciting. The fulfilling, the draining. The dreaded and the desired. God is pleased when our whole heart is applied to the task before us. Your efforts are a service to the Lord Christ. And this applies across all seasons and all positions in life. As a faithful and obedient child. As a good brother. As a loving husband, as a respectful wife. As a caring father or doting mother. In work, in retirement. In abundance in poverty. When all is good, when all seems bad. Faithfulness is a mark of the heart of God. It reflects who He is.

 When I wake up in the morning, I thank God for my job. There are days I enjoy what I do. There are also days that I'm tempted to think that what I do is less than important. Where do I stand on the corporate ladder? Is the software I build going to be used by future generations? None of those measures of success hold true value. The fact of the matter is that I serve the Lord Jesus in my work and that He will reward me not for building amazing solutions or long lasting systems, but rather for faithful service.

 Character is important to God. You can have abundant talent and an amazing aptitude. Those are gifts indeed. But God looks at what you do with what you've been given and whether or not you reflect Him in that. Faithful employee (not perfect), a hard worker (not a workaholic), wholehearted and focused (yet not inconsiderate), it is the Lord Christ that you serve. 

 Scripture References
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10)

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