A Few Things

By Robin Caldwell

The youth pastor prayed, “Lord, deliver me from the approval of men. I don’t want to live for that; I want to live for you. I want to live for the ‘well done!’” Shivers ran up and down my spine and the Bible verse he paraphrased resonated in my brain:

“His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'” (Matthew 25:21, NKJ)

God instantly convicted me of why I’m on Earth and how many times I’ve done things for all of the wrong reasons. My service is not to please people or gratify my ego; it’s to be unto Him. The “few things” I am faithful in performing can’t be me or ye-centered; they’re to be Christ-centered—His priority not mine.

Pastor Rick Warren followed through on one thing resulting in the best-selling tome, The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? It seemed like such a small effort to write a book, but the fruit of his obedience has been phenomenal: lives have been transformed, churches have renewed passion and people are having their daily needs met.

By the same token, Bishop Eddie Long embraced a few things and his church, New Birth Cathedral re-purposed Resurrection Day. They celebrated the risen Savior by offering services in the Georgia Dome. The church wisely partnered with local community service organizations and the Centers for Disease Control to provide much needed outreach to the surrounding community. Those in attendance and in need received food, clothing, personal care kits and healthcare screenings ranging from podiatry to HIV testing. If that weren’t enough, they were served with massages and haircuts.

In some city or rural community, an uncelebrated yet faithful saint has taken his or her meager earnings and fed the homeless or provided clothing for a child or given shelter to a battered woman. We will not see that service on TV or read about it in magazines, but we will be blessed by its fruitfulness.

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48 NKJ)

Prosperity thinking has lost something in its translation. We are to ask for more to do more. We are given more to do more in the name of God. And, we are to do more for Him because He has given us much—grace, love, and mercy.

Our giving is not a question of ownership or personal impetus—it’s always about God and His purpose. The second we lay claim to any act of giving, we relinquish the “well done.” Why should God give us props, if we’re going to give them to ourselves?

“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven … That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6: 1-4, KJV)

When we give in the name of Christ and as led by the Holy Spirit there are no regrets. Just as “the gifts and callings of the Lord are without repentance,” so is giving inspired by Him. We never have to say (or should say), “After all I’ve done for you,” because we are not the owners—we are merely the stewards. We are merely allocating as directed by the owner—God. We cannot take credit for the giving and we cannot regret giving under those circumstances.

When we give in the name of Christ, the gift will bear fruit. The world calls it “paying forward” or “reciprocity” and the Word says it’s “multiplying talents.” Giving inspired and directed by God is purposeful. Feeding, clothing, befriending, and caring for “the least of these” serves the function of filling needs that enable others to live out their purposes on Earth.

Another extraordinary aspect of Christ-centered giving involves creativity. There are myriad needs to be fulfilled—an inexhaustible list—and there are myriad ways to fill them. For example, a church group knits scarves year-round for the homeless; an auto mechanic donates his services to widows, single moms, and elderly women and a relative takes out the trash for an infirmed neighbor.

I love the example of giving set by my friend Denise. She gives quietly and with discernment. Denise’s good stewardship is evident in her use of resources to do God’s will. She is a cheerful giver.

Living for the “well done” is about giving like the Master: sacrificially, generously, wisely, and without regret. God doesn’t lord His service to us over our heads, because He gives out of love.

I suspect the youth pastor has already been delivered from the approval of men, because he had the good mind to ask God. Most important, he grasped the meaning of “well done” and strives to be faithful in the few things God has set in front of him. Bless his heart; one day he will be ruler of many things and he will do so with joy.