Faithfulness

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!'”  Matthew 25:21

Someone once said to me, “Joni, I wish I could be like you because you’ll get a great reward in heaven.” I appreciate the accolade, but I see it differently. I already have the reward of seeing the gospel go forth and of watching believers become encouraged because of this wheelchair. The glorious purposes for my suffering are clear to all.

But some saints have suffered for no apparent reason. In heaven, I’m convinced, the highest accolades will go to those godly people who labored loyally yet received no recognition.

May God honor the missionary in the Brazilian jungles who spent fifteen years translating Scripture and then quietly moved on to the next tribe to do the same. May the Lord reward small town pastors who faithfully preach every Sunday morning despite meager numbers in the pews. And the pastors in China who suffer persecutions and interminable jail sentences. May the Lord take the highest delight in the elderly in nursing homes who don’t dwell on their plight but rather pray for others. And godly teenagers who hold fast to their virginity despite peer pressure, intimidation, and their hormones. These are the ones who will receive great reward!

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcomings… Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

Success isn’t the key. Faithfulness is. May you be faithful to Him until you hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”