Faithful in Little

"And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." Luke 19:17

Taken Away:

When I got married, my husband and I moved into a spacious two bedroom/two bathroom apartment with even vaulted ceilings. It was a gorgeous place with 900 sq. feet. After I gave birth to my daughter, I quit working and became a stay-at-home mom, so we moved into my parents house for a few months. There we lived in a bedroom with bathroom combo. (It was tiny.) After this, we found a little place within our means and moved into a one bedroom/one bathroom apartment for 560 sq. feet. While we lived there, I gave birth two more girls. There are four... then five people living in a small one bedroom/bathroom apartment.

I began to think about that spacious apartment I lived in... and wondered what happened. "For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him." Luke 19:26 God showed me this passage... and asked me these questions: "Were you faithful in the first apartment?.... Are you being faithful in the little apartment you have now?"

Steward means: "a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others, a person who has charge of the household of another, buying or obtaining food, directing the servants, etc, the manager of household or of household affairs"

Honestly, I wasn't a faithful steward in that first apartment. I don't think I took care of it like I could have. I don't think I was a good steward with that which God had given me, so He allowed it to be taken away. 

A Faithful Steward:

This little apartment was a test... will I be found faithful here?

I began to take care of it. I organized/decluttered each room. I created a working SAHM schedule. I made better meals/snacks. I was even better at finances. I became a better steward of the home God had provided me, knowing I would receive "my reward" if I did... and God's promise became true in my life!

Two years after moving in there, God provide us with a GORGEOUS duplex to rent. Spacious 1250 square feet, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a huge backyard.

Does this mean, I should quit being a faithful steward? No! I don't know what God will do around the corner, if I stay faithful in little, who knows what else may happen? ;) (Eph. 3:20)

Faithful in Your Little:

What has God trusted you with? 
What have you done with the talent/treasures He's given you? 
Are you growing/investing in them?

Are you a student in school? Are you faithful to your studies?
Are you a worker? Are you being a good steward of your time and talents?
Are you a wife? Do you care for the needs of your husband? (Physical, emotional, mental.... etc)
Are you a mother? Do you invest in your children's growth? Praying and molding them in the Lord?

Let's be faithful in our little.... and see what GREAT rewards God has for us. (Both here on earth... and in Heaven!) 

(Matt. 16:27, Rev. 22:12)

I Failed

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall..." Isaiah 40:30

Failure:

Fail means: "to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved, to be or become deficient or lacking; be insufficient or absent; fall short"

Here are some goals that I have failed in this year. This past summer, I tried to daily post a Proverb-of-the-day for about three months. I ended up posting 30 times here and there. I failed to do it daily. I was discouraged and frustrated with my failure. This fall, I decided I want to post a blog entry every day. I failed that too. I haven't been writing daily. I wrote about twice a week. I fell short on my success. I didn't succeed in my goals.

Is there something last year that you tried to do, but you failed at? 
Did you try to read your Bible every day? 
Did you try to go to the gym once a week? 
Did you try to be a better friend to others?
What goals were not accomplished like you had wanted to?


Quit:

Quit means: "to stop, cease, or discontinue:"

Now let's talk about quitting. Have you noticed the difference between the two terms. One means falling short of a goal. The other is stopping and discontinuing. The Bible says "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." Ecc. 7:8. It's okay to fail at a goal or a desire. It's okay to realize that you didn't accomplish something just like you wanted. But did you quit and stop altogether? (Luke 14:30)

Finish Line: 

Daily Bible reading was an important goal I had from my youth. Each year I would read half of what I wanted to read. I thought I'd never obtain the prize of reading my Bible through in a year. How amazed I was to have read through in 2012!! Now this is the 3RD year that I've read through my Bible. (Phil. 3:14)

I focused on the finish line and not at my problems. I just wouldn't quit. I kept trying. I kept setting goals and improvising them.

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Don't stop trying. Be patient with progress and goals. Be forgiving of your failures and mistakes. Make a better effort or smaller obtainable goals today. Look down the road at the finish line and learn to see the big picture. 

Reviewing the Goals:

Did I quit blogging? No! In fact, even though, I am not writing daily, I am writing more often now than when I started blogging. Twice times a week is significantly more than once a month, don't you think? :D

Did I fail a Proverb-a-day? Maybe... but I did end up posting 30 times! I didn't quit trying to read/post a proverb-a-day through that summer.

Don't quit your goals, even if you fail them. ;)

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24