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Faithful: Firm in adherence to the truth and to the duties of religion. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Rev 2:10. Firmly adhering to duty; of true fidelity; loyal; true to allegiance; as a faithful subject. Constant in the performance of duties or services; exact in attending to commands; as a faithful servant.
Greek: pistos [pis-tos’]: faithful [53], believe [6], true [2], faithfully [1]. Sure [1]. object trustworthy; subject trustful: - believe (-ing, -r), faithful (-ly), sure, true. Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. Active, signifying "believing, trusting, relying," e.g., Acts 16:1 (feminine); 2 Cor. 6:15; Gal. 3:9 seems best taken in this respect, as the context lays stress upon Abraham's "faith" in God, rather than upon his "faithfulness." Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words.
The Scriptures say: Proverbs 13:11 (NIV)11 “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” I know a man in Florida who for the sake of identity we will call Joe, has the idea that God is going to give him 800 million dollars through a get rich scheme from California. It is connected to the electric wind turbine industry and somehow, he has been hooked into thinking that God is involved. I know him through another friend, and he lived in my hometown at one time and had a very successful accounting business.
I have counseled Joe through a friend and told him to give up on this madness, or it could cost him his life, or at very least his financial life. He has placed a lot of money in this get rich scheme and really had little if any money to spend on the idea. As an accountant he has done quite well over the years but now finds his life in an absolute financial disaster. He has lost his home, his business has gone bankrupt, and Joe is in his late 70’s which means he has very little time left to recoup all that has been lost.
He has not been faithful with the little things in his life and therefore will not be given much. This is what Luke is trying to get across to us here. What is in a man that makes him feel that God is going to entrust him with hundreds of millions when he has not been faithful with what little he has? I have encouraged my friend to get across to Joe that he is on a fool’s errand. Joe was cordially explaining to my friend that he was only going to take about $10,000 a month to live on and the rest he would invest in the Kingdom of God.
Well, after years of lost time and money, he now is facing the reality that money may not be coming. Month after month the folks from California keep putting off the payoff. One excuse after another till all is but lost and he has nothing to show for it. Joe waited so long till this detrimental idea has stolen all that he had. This is so sad.
The key ingredient here is that God wants us to be faithful in the little things and then we will be made ruler over much. Do things that are within the scope of your talents and be faithful with the little you have. God can increase you for His return is hard measure, pressed down and running over. This is the message of the filling of the ‘gas tank’ mentioned in yesterday’s post. Find the little things to do for the Lord and increase them little by little and let the Lord grow you up into a mighty mustard seed.
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