The Good Faithful Servant

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.” (Matthew 25: 21)

The good and faithful servant is praised not for the achievement of great projects but for accomplishing small tasks in a faithful manner. This means that everybody can be a good and faithful servant. Even a child can perform a small task. It is relatively easy to accomplish a small task once. It is much more challenging to do it for one week or one month. But to do that small thing always and everywhere demands a cut above the average. This is the quality of faithfulness.

God has given everyone the ability to do something well. This is our talent or opportunity. God wants us to be faithful in the use of this talent. Many writers have pointed out that what is most encouraging in the above scripture is that the servant is praised not for performing the task in an excellent manner but just by being constant in his line of work. It is comforting to see that I too can be faithful in one thing. What is the one thing I can be faithful in? Perhaps prayer or the study of the word of God. I find a natural attraction to both.