Pastoral Letters

Faithfulness in Service

March 14, 2021 Author:Elder Teo Chin Tian
God’s faithfulness is demonstrated in His providence for man. God made the sun to rise every morning and set every evening for generations. We can depend on God because of His faithfulness. He promised He would not fail to keep His promises and we can trust Him to fulfil this because of His faithfulness. He gives each of us different abilities and talents, as is written in Romans 12:6-8 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

God requires us to be good stewards of our gifts. To him who is faithful with small things, God would grant him to be in charge of more things. The servant was found to be a good steward of a few bags of gold, and God gave him more to take charge of in Matthew 25:28-30, “So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We should emulate the steward who received ten bags of gold, invested them, and gained another ten bags of gold in return. We should invest time in developing our talent, to work for God. Let us not be like the “worthless servant” who neglected his only spiritual bag of gold, and ended with nothing in his hands. We should be like the steward who received five or even ten bags of gold. They put to work what they received, to double the investment. Let us be committed to serve in the ministries that we dedicated ourselves to in the beginning of each year. When we serve faithfully in small things, God would entrust us with greater things.

God is not particular about how many talents we have, but He is concerned about our stewardship. What He requires of us is our faithfulness in using our talent for God and His glory.

God is also not a debtor to us and He will not short-change us when we use our talents in God’s work. God promises in Hebrews 6:10, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

Serving God faithfully requires sacrifices and challenges which may discourage you. Take heart that God would ensure that His work would be done. Let us serve God faithfully in the various ministries that we have committed ourselves to. At the same time, let us be mindful that we do not get burned out.

We should not be like Martha. Rather, we should follow Mary who took time to sit at Jesus’ feet, and to learn about God and His teachings. Let us be prayerful in waiting upon the Lord for His will to be revealed. We need to draw wisdom and strength from God as we serve God faithfully.

At the end of life’s journey, we can look forward to God remembering us and our faithfulness. May we also be able to hear God saying to us in Matt 25:23, ‘“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!”’