Daily Devotion

November 16, 2016

To be faithful is to be successful


“Well done, good and faithful servant.”                  Mt 25:23 NKJV

God wants you to succeed in life (See Jos 1:8). And He will give you the tools, strategies, and relationships necessary for success. David started out as a lowly shepherd boy, but God made him King of Israel. The Bible says, “In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him” (1Sa 18:14 NIV). But God’s definition of success is very different from the world’s definition. Former U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield tells of touring Calcutta with Mother Teresa. They visited the “Home for the Dying” where sick children are cared for in their last days, and the dispensary where the poor line up by the hundreds to receive medical attention. Watching Mother Teresa minister to these people, feeding and nursing those left by others to die, Hatfield was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the suffering she and her co-workers faced daily. “How can you bear the load without being crushed beneath it?” he asked. Mother Teresa replied, “My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful.” Some of us are called to serve in the limelight while others are called to serve in the shadows. Some are privileged to receive the world’s accolades and rewards, but most of us aren’t. Should we be discouraged? Not for a moment! With God, faithfulness counts as success. One day when you’ll stand before God you will hear these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

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