Good & Faithful Daughter
Matthew 25:21 reads:
“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!’
We are all believing God to meet specific desires in our lives. In what ways are you waiting on God to come through for you? Our wants and desires can range from the area of material things to spiritual things and even emotional breakthrough. Knowing Who provides the desires of our heart is only half the battle. But next importantly is our stewardship -how well we manage what we currently have.
Our focus scripture comes from an account in the Bible (Matthew 25:14-30), when Jesus told His disciples a story to get His point across (also called a parable). The story that Jesus told was about a master who entrusted bags of gold to three of his servants, all different amounts “according to their ability”. Of the three, only two servants were faithful with their bags of gold. When the master returned from his journey and found that the two servants had stewarded the bags of gold so well, that they multiplied it, he counted them as “good and faithful”. The master was so pleased, that he added to what the faithful servants had already gained. However, the not so faithful servant, did nothing with his one bag of gold except hide it in the ground. As a result, he was referred to as “wicked and lazy”. The bag of gold that was entrusted to him was taken and given to the most faithful one.
Let’s take a moment to ponder this account as we accurately reflect on our own lives as it relates to stewardship. If we are honest, there are things we are believing God for, but our management over what He has already blessed us with, reflects the actions of the unfaithful servant. We want to see increase in our finances yet we continuously make unwise financial decisions. We want the new job title yet we don’t maintain a positive attitude and noble work ethic in our current role. We want to hear from God yet we are not prioritizing our time with Him. We want the healthy relationships but we neglect to cultivate the most important one we have with God. We want so much, but are we asking God to help us be women who are worthy of what we are requesting from Him? Are we even asking Him for what we want in the first place?
Please hear me when I say, there is nothing wrong with having weak areas. That’s where God shows Himself strong -when we invite Him to. The thing is, we must resolve to humbling ourselves and ASK God, our Source for help! He will and He wants to. God delights in helping us. He loves when we seek Him, instead of trying to manage our own lives. Jesus encourages us of this through verses like Matthew 6:33 which affirms when we seek the things of God FIRST, all other things will be added to us. While we are out here being about our Father’s business, aiming to honor Him with our time, talent and treasures; He is in the background working on our behalf to meet our needs & desires.
Additionally, once we humble ourselves to ask, we must examine what we need in conjunction to what we are asking for. Consider this, that while we may have the correct motives, our prayers may be a little out of alignment with what we should be asking for.
Not too long ago, I had to personally learn this in my own life.. It was during a time when my days seemed so cluttered and busy. I was doing so much but was left feeling tired and somehow unaccomplished. I came to my own conclusion that rest is what I needed and so I committed to resting. Only, I still didn’t feel a sense of ease in my days. I was still tired and felt as if my days were running together.
But oh God, in His loving correction!!.. He revealed to me that it wasn’t lack of rest that caused me to experience chaotic days.. It was my lack of time management. In full transparency, I was not being a good steward over my time. I was going to sleep late, waking up early, but continuously dozing back off until about 8 a.m -which is late for me. My morning time with God would be limited, I’d be rushing from one errand to another, while still trying to do all the things.
I thank God for His conviction because it brought me to a place of humility. Out of that humble place, I prayed daily for God to help me manage my days and make the most out of my time. Nowadays, your girl is waking up at 5 a.m enjoying the peace and quietness of the early morning, hearing God more clearly, experiencing His presence more and going about my days with ease. Even those days when my plans may get interrupted, I am able to peacefully maneuver & more easily follow God’s leading. Where I was once like the servant described as irresponsible, God loved me into faithfulness. And not for nothing, but so that I could “be trusted with more and share in the Master’s happiness” as said in Matthew 25:21.
What areas could you use Gods help in managing better? Ask Him now!! Let Him teach you and as a result, multiply you. Because if He can trust you to do well with a little, He will entrust to you more and more. Sis, be encouraged. Understand that God is always working for you, in the seen and unseen. Sometimes He is preparing the blessings for us and other times, He is preparing us for it! God doesn’t want to just give us blessings that He knows we will mismanage or lose quickly. He wants His outpour to be lasting and worthwhile. Like the faithful servants multiplied the gold they’d freely been given, so God wants the same for us. So start where you are. Start being a grateful manager over what you currently have. Treat that apartment like the luxury home you’re believing God for. Put God at the center of your life so that when your husband comes, you can maintain the heathy, Christ-centered marriage you long for. Be intentional with balancing rest and priorities so that God can trust you to effectively run that business. Whatever it may be for you, lets start day by day, attempting to be more grateful, patient, humble and faithful.
Ask the Lord to show you the areas that you need to better manage and invite Him to teach you how to do so. When we heed to God’s divine strategies for our lives, it makes room for His divine blessings to come into our lives. He is the Ultimate Giver of all good things. As we are faithful with what we currently have -no matter how big or small it may seem; then I am positive in due time God will proclaim over us, “Well done, Daughter! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share my happiness!” I believe it and I receive it. Amen!
Lets pray:
Heavenly Father, thank you for being the God Who first gave. Help us to know and appreciate that “every good and perfect gift comes from You.” Forgive us for the times when we have been irresponsible with what You’ve blessed us with. Help us to honor You with our time, our talents and treasures. Help us to be good stewards over the people, positions, and things You have entrusted to us. We want to be women who are worthy of the increase we expect from you. We don’t want to mismanage what comes from You, Lord God. As we heed to Your divine strategy, outpour on us the needs and desires of our hearts and enable us to multiply the blessings You bestow on us. Today, I will start with what I have and I pray You will find me faithful. Thank You Lord in advance.
In Jesus’s name, amen.
