A Prayer to Be Faithful Over Little and in Charge of Much - Your Daily Prayer - August 16

A Prayer to Be Faithful over Little & In Charge of Much
By Kelly Balarie

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’.” – Matthew 25:23 NLT

I really need to obey God more.
I really should follow through.
I don’t know why I have such a hard time reading God’s Word.
I am always messing up.

Have you ever said these things to yourself? Have you ever pressured yourself to do better, to be better, and to act better? Hard pressure ventures us outside the boundary lines of God’s easy-yoke grace. It makes us into bullies. Just as people rebel against bullies, so does our self-will when we bully ourselves. I believe no person has ever bullied themselves to be more faithful, to do more things for God, and to be more obedient in a way that truly honors and submits to God.

Important to remember is that to change, to be faithful, to stay steadfast, and to remain obedient is not our work; it is the work of God. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phil. 2:13, NIV)

If it were a work of self-will, we would have something to boast about. The genesis point of any act of creation begins with God and ends with God. It is arrogance to presume otherwise. Of course, all glory and praise go to God for this process. God is prepared to give us His much, the question is – will we turn to Him for His empowering grace in our little?

What does this look like? It looks like:

Asking God for His grace because we can’t do it on our own.
Being open to the small promptings and leadings of God as we spend time in His Word, and in our worlds.
Moving, despite our feelings, out of a heart of love for God rather than demands of self.

The joy of our master is on the other side of our act of faithfulness. Ideally, this is what drives us. Our obedience happens because we love Him, and He loves us. Starting small is how it works. As God leads through prayer and His word, move out in what appears to be little and watch it grow big.

A small encouraging word could lead to joy that compels you to reach five more people with God’s love.
A dollar to a homeless person could inspire a way to house them.
A prayer for that unseen person could lead them to get back up again and to start the ministry that will reach millions.
A donation of love could restore a marriage and a household that leads to generational impact.

Don’t despise your small beginning sourced through your massively impactful God. It all matters. And it is all done from love, by grace, to the glory of His Name!

Let’s pray:

Father, I have a heart to obey you and to be faithful to you. Father, I confess today that I am not always obedient. In fact, I am often rebellious. Oh, God, forgive me. Have mercy on me. I am sorry. I want to draw near to you and I want you to draw near to me. I ask that any impediments or strongholds that stand in the way of my love for you be removed now. I ask for your grace to equip me as I go a new way. I ask for your love to lead me and to compel me in all my ways. I need you and I need your help. I ask to be faithful in the little so that I can be put over your much. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/KevinLeah

Kelly uplifts believers with boosts of faith; be encouraged weekly by getting Kelly’s blog posts by email. Kelly, a cheerleader of faith, is a blogger, national speaker, and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly loves seeing the power of prayer in action. She loves seeing the expression on women’s faces when they realize – their God is faithful! Kelly’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CBN’s 700 Club, Relevant and Today’s Christian Woman.

Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.

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