The world tells us to chase the praise of people and to progress on from the “lowly” positions in life. I find myself struggling with having this mindset sometimes and can be tempted to despise the small roles in life. Only by the Lord’s empowerment can we be humble enough to willingly and joyfully serve in whatever role we are given.

As believers we should all be striving towards hearing the words “well done good and faithful servant” one day when we see Jesus face to face. What does it mean to be a faithful servant? As always, the Lord is concerned with what is going on in our heart more than us achieving a certain level of success. The reality is we can achieve much in this world and receive a lot of acclamation but still completely fail at honoring God at what we do.

Conversely, it is possible to be faithfully serving the Lord and never achieve success as the world defines it. Being faithful does necessarily mean we will all achieve visible, flashy things.

Faithfulness is stewarding the opportunities and gifts God gives us for the glory of His name, out of a heart that loves and longs to please the Lord. It is daily asking God to show us what the next faithful step  is in front of us. Faithfulness is serving to the best of our ability even when we don’t receive the appreciation we think we’ve earned or when we don’t see the results we thought we would. God gives us all different roles to play, different levels of giftings, and different amounts of fruit He seeks to produce in our lives. The Lord simply calls us to be steadfast where we’ve been planted and leave the results to Him.

The truth is whatever we do, however lowly and small it may seem, it is always a privilege and a joy to serve Jesus. It is a gift to live for the Lord. We might have very little to offer to Him but if we seek to give it for the glory of His name, the Lord will be well pleased. Because of the exceeding worth of Jesus, whatever we do, no matter how little, is full of meaning if it points others to the beauty of the Lord. 

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” -1 Corinthians 15:58