Faithfulness More Than Fraternity

“A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.” (Pr 17:2 AV)

There is a temporal idea that status matters.  To some degree, it does.  But to the LORD, it does not. Faithfulness matters more than status.  In our proverb, Solomon instructs his son that a faithful servant will be trusted more than a foolish son.  In fact, the lord of the manner may place a faithful servant over a foolish son to be his governor and guide.  The lord of the manner is more concerned with the final condition of the manner than he is a relationship between himself and a foolish heir.  The servant will be treated as equal to other heirs if he is first and foremost, faithful.

The same is true in the work of God.  We cannot be obsessed with titles or positions.  What is more important is faithfulness and trustworthiness.  The saint that is faithful in doing the simplest of tasks is worth far more to the kingdom of God than someone who knows a lot of bible, but doesn’t really live it.  The saint that is faithful in the ministries to which he is assigned is far more valuable to the kingdom of God than a saint with a big personality but cannot rule his own heart.

When I was still young in the LORD, I remember a particular sentence of a message that was preached.  I cannot remember the preacher or the passage.  But I do remember a statement he made.  It was to students of our Bible Institute.  Probably at a commencement service.  He made the statement that God will not send you half-way around the world unless you are first willing to go to your next-door neighbor.  His point, found in the parable of the talents, is God will entrust more to those who are faithful and less to those who are not.  I remember serving in a culture to which most worked in the factory.  There is an expectation of promotion based on seniority rather than merit.  This idea seeped into the church and people expected to be assigned certain positions based on pedigree or seniority.  The call of God had little to do with it.  Often, people like this were generally disqualified for the position they sought, and their lives reflected as such.

We cannot be discouraged because God may have us in what we consider a less than prominent post.  It is not what God assigns us to do that reveals our worth.  It is our faithfulness.  It doesn’t matter if our granddaddy was a preacher or our great grandmother was a founding member and long-time piano player.  What matters is what we do and how we live.  Humility, surrender, and faithfulness are far more important than fraternity.  And, God blesses for it.