Can God Entrust You With
More?
Rick Renner
This morning as I write to you, I am
sitting in my chair where I pray each morning, and my thoughts are going to all
those who pray for us and support us financially.
I have been specifically praying for
you and all our ministry partners. I’ve also been pondering a question that I
recently was asked, and that’s what I want to talk to you.
Someone recently asked me, “How does
God choose whom He wants to use?” This is an important question to ask, and
it’s one that you should ask if you desire to be used by the
Lord.
As you look at those whom God uses in a
significant way, it will quickly become obvious that God doesn’t choose people
simply because of talents or gifts. So there must be another, higher reason
that causes Him to reach out and lay His hand on an individual to use him or
her in a special way.
What is that reason?
There are several answers to this
question. There are certain qualities that cause God to reach out and use some
people more than others, and you need to know those qualities.
In First Corinthians 4:2, the apostle
Paul gave us one answer to this question. Paul stated this
answer so categorically that it seems this quality is at the top of God’s list
of requirements for those who will do His work.
Paul wrote, “Moreover it is
required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”
I want to draw your attention to the word “faithful”
in this verse. This word comes from the Greek word pistos, which is derived from the word pistis, the Greek word for faith.
However, in First Corinthians 4:2, the
word pistos doesn’t refer to faith as a spiritual force;
rather, it pictures a person who is faithful.
This is a person God has found to
be faithful, trustworthy, reliable, dependable, true,
and unfailing.
But how does God know
if a person is faithful, trustworthy, reliable, dependable, true, and
unfailing? Paul answered this question when he wrote, “Moreover it is
required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”
The word “found” is translated
from the Greek word eurisko,
which means to find or to discover — and it’s
important to note that what is “found” is a discovery made as a result of careful observation.
This word “found” — eurisko — tells us that God
is carefully observing us to see our actions and reactions. He is watching to
see how we treat people, how we respond to pressure, and whether or not we have
the tenacity to stay on track when distractions try to thwart our obedience.
Before He taps us on the shoulder to
give us a new assignment, He carefully observes to see how well we have done
with the last assignment.
Did we do it as He expected? Did we
finish it completely, or did we leave parts of the assignment incomplete? Did
we do it in a way that glorified the name of Jesus?
If you were God looking for someone to
use in a mighty way, wouldn’t you first watch a person’s character and actions
to see if he or she was someone you could depend on for a big assignment? Even
secular employers inspect employees to see who is trustworthy of a big
promotion!
If you were an employer, before you
promoted someone into a position of great authority, wouldn’t you watch that
person first to see if he or she would be found faithful?
Since this is true of humans when they
look for someone to oversee short-lived, temporal responsibilities, how much
more is this true of God, who entrusts people with matters that impact people’s
lives for all eternity?
There is nothing more serious than
eternal business. That’s why before God promotes someone over greater spiritual
matters, He watches to see if they are found faithful.
God wants to know if we are faithful,
trustworthy, reliable, dependable, true, and unfailing. Rather than take a shot
in the dark and simply hope for the best, He bases His decision on careful
discovery.
That means that God is watching you today.
He watches your actions and reactions. He observes how you treat people and how
you respond to pressure.
He looks to see if you have the
tenacity to keep going, even in the face of opposition. There is no second-guessing
with God about this question of our faithfulness.
The word “found” in First
Corinthians 4:2 emphatically means that God watches us over a long period of
time and in many different circumstances to see if we are faithful,
trustworthy, reliable, dependable, true, and unfailing!
So I today I want to ask you…what has
God found about you?
Once God knows a person can be trusted
with more, it usually isn’t long before a new assignment comes his or her way.
In First Corinthians 4:2, Paul says, “Moreover
it is required in
stewards that a man be found faithful.”
The word “required” is translated
from the Greek word zeteo, which
means to seek, to search, or to look very
intensively for something.
It was a legal term to denote a
judicial investigation and could even refer to a scientific
investigation. It describes an intense and thorough
searching.
It could be interpreted, “Moreover,
God is making a concentrated, exhaustive, and thorough search in pursuit of
stewards who are found faithful.”
This means that the people who possess
the qualities God wants in order to use them are not abundant in the Christian
community. Faithful, trustworthy, reliable, dependable, true, and unfailing
people are so rare that God must thoroughly and exhaustively
search to find them.
But once He finds by observation that a
particular believer is committed to do His will and to do it with excellence,
God has made a valuable discovery. He has found a faithful person
He can depend on to lead and carry out a new and important assignment.
Over the years, I’ve worked with
thousands of people — and I know that it is very rare to find people who are
completely reliable. Most are distracted by other things. They start out with a
desire to be faithful, but the affairs of life pull them away.
Any pastor could testify of the myriads
of people who started projects but didn’t finish them. But when a person is
discovered who is faithful, trustworthy, reliable, true,
and unfailing in keeping his or her word, this is a rare find
— a real gem indeed!
When God looks at you, what does He say
about your faithfulness? I encourage you to do all you possibly can do to make
it easy for Him to say, “Now, that person
is a real gem whom I can trust with the next big assignment!”
Don’t let His answer be, “Not yet!” because
you refused to make the necessary changes.
Since God is watching, don’t you agree
that it is vital that we take a serious look at ourselves to see what He is
finding as He watches what we do, the promises we make, and the seriousness
with which we obey Him and His Word?
Has God found that He can trust us, or
would it be wise for Him to choose someone else?
If you want to move into a higher realm
of responsibility that holds more exciting and significant assignments in life,
do everything you can to be found faithful in what you are doing right
now.
When God has found you faithful in your
present project, you have your best guarantee that a door will soon open for
you to step through so you can walk out the dream He has placed in your heart.
Today I want to ask you: What is the
major assignment in your life right now that God has asked you to deal with?
Maybe it’s a work assignment, a relationship assignment, or an assignment to
deal with a specific personal issue.
Can you name the most significant assignment
God has given you — the one you know He is watching most closely to see how
you’re completing it? I know if you ask Him, He will help you define your task,
improve your performance, and position yourself for the promotion He desires
for you.
Simply purpose in your heart and make a
strong commitment that God will find you faithful in
pursuing His will, from the smallest task that has been assigned to you to the
largest, most important calling that is on your life.
God cares about the things that He’s called
you to accomplish for Him more than you do. He stands ready to encourage you,
strengthen you, and help you shore up any weak areas of your life so that you
are found faithful in your season to take on every God-given assignment and
fulfill it with all your heart.
I pray that this letter has been a
blessing to you today. As I sit here, I can tell you that writing it was a test
for my own heart. I want to continually be doing what the Lord is asking me to
do. Right now in my own life, God is calling me higher. I know that.
What about you?
Before I close, I want to say thank you
for your prayers and your financial support for our ministry. Not a day goes by
that Denise and I don’t thank God for the faithful support of our partners and
pray for His highest and best in their lives — in every sphere of their
existence!
Please let us know about any
specific prayer requests you have on your heart. It is
always an honor to stand with you to see His will come to pass in your life!
We really do love you and thank God for
you!
We are your brother and sister,
friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,
Rick and Denise Renner along with Paul, Philip, and Joel and
their families
http://www.renner.org/monthly-teaching-letters/can-god-entrust-you-with-more/
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