Be Faithful in Small Things

Image: Hans-Peter Gauster via Unsplash

"Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2, NKJV).

On Thursday afternoons, a couple of us from Faith in Action Ministry visit veterans at a local nursing home. In addition to “making the rounds,” seeing the progress made on one of the gigantic community jigsaw puzzles is a highlight.

Most days, there will be a person (or two) wheeled up to the table, focusing intensely, trying to find that elusive piece that pulls it all together. No matter how they feel, they faithfully come along and add their pieces to the puzzle. They are committed to completing what they have started.

Christian Life: God’s Jigsaw Puzzle

Christian life can be like a jigsaw puzzle. God sees what the completed puzzle looks like. He sees the picture on the cover as a finished masterpiece. It’s His creation. He knows how many pieces are in the box, which colors blend perfectly like the reds, yellows, and purples of one of His desert sunsets.

Image: Robert Murray via Unsplash

He knows how the pieces fit together and who else will join in to assist in its construction. All stewards must faithfully show up and contribute their part to the puzzle. Once we say “yes” to God, we can’t rightly later say “no” to His plan.

But what about those days when we just don’t “feel” like working on the Christian jigsaw puzzle of life? When our mission and purpose seem reduced to mumblings and grumblings? When we don’t “feel” the love, peace, joy, or any of the other fruit of the Spirit, especially not faithfulness?

The Blessed Awakening

For me, this is when the blessed awakening happens. It’s when the fruit of the Spirit comes alive, like the vision of a completed puzzle that's still in a pile of disconnected pieces dumped out of the box on the table. “I was blind, but now I see,” said the blind man. (John 9:25).

God gifts us with the nine characteristics that are uniquely His–forever. We cannot feel, or think, or practice our way into love, peace, joy, or the rest of the fruit of the Spirit. There isn’t a mission or purpose God calls us to that, through our own strength, will sustain us through every mud puddle of life. How we “feel” has nothing to do with it. Whether we show up, despite how we feel, has everything to do with it.

And then we surrender and remember James’ words:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8, NKJV).

Typically, when we read a quote or hear a sermon snippet from James 4:8, only the first sentence is expressed. That’s the “warm fuzzy” part that everyone loves to feel, like having your dog next to you on a stormy night. The second part is the cold prickly reminder of who we are in God’s eyes without His Son, Jesus Christ.

Look at the verse. There are 23 words, 23 pieces of the puzzle that must come together, or the picture is incomplete. In fact, the warm fuzzy sentence is less than half (47.83%) of God’s complete snapshot of what He expects of our submission to Him. Only by recognizing our sinful nature can we expect the devil to flee from us as God draws near.

Be Faithful in Small Things

So what can we do as mere mortals, sinners at the core, as we daily pick up our cross and follow Jesus? We can be faithful in small things:

• Accept your thoughts and feelings uncritically. We don't need to feel like doing His work or even think we are qualified to do it. Accept that He has the Plan and you are an integral part of it.
  

• Remember your God-given mission–your meaning and purpose in His Kingdom. We all should remember that some days we'll be the quarterback on God's team, the CEO in His boardroom. Other days, we'll be the water boy and the Uber driver. Each is an indispensable piece of the puzzle.
  

• Draw near to god; acknowledge your sin. It's better to approach God humbly, on our knees first. He's always offered His hand to raise me up when I approached Him in respectful fear. I've tried the other approach. It resulted in The Fall!
  

• Ask for God’s character: The fruit of the Spirit (singular) in all its nine “flavors.” God doesn't separate His character into distinct parts; He is unified in all nine aspects. Thus, we can't ask for faithfulness independent of the other nine qualities. They are One as He is One.
  

• Commit to showing up. This is our opportunity to become "doers of the Word" rather than simply hearers or readers of the Word. Be a doer--pick up your cross and your puzzle pieces. They fit well in God's beautiful puzzle that is your life.

Related Fruit of the Spirit Posts:

• Let Your Faith Be Bigger Than Your Fear

• Biblical Patience: Staying Calm in Life's Pressure Cooker

• Introduction to Fruit of the Spirit Blog