Be faithful in little
God asks of us in our spiritual life that we be faithful. It is not the level we are in that is important, but rather the measure of our faithfulness at that level, whatever it may be. God does not ask you to be one who has five talents or two talents; rather, He asks you to be faithful in the one talent you have, in your responsibility, however small it may be…
Be faithful in little
Thus the Lord Christ said: “You were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
God wants faithfulness from us in all our relationships with Him—faithfulness that requires precision and care in every responsibility He gives us, so that we perform it with all our heart and with all our effort, in complete faithfulness…
Concerning this faithfulness, the Lord said: “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?” And He said: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And the Scripture says: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully.”
Someone may ask: What are the limits of this faithfulness? The Lord answers: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10).
Unto death. That is, if it leads to martyrdom for the sake of this faithfulness, it is better that you die and be faithful…
Be faithful in the little that you have, and God will set you over much.
When Joseph was faithful over the house of Potiphar, God set him over Pharaoh’s palace and over all Egypt. And when David was faithful over the few sheep in the wilderness, God set him over all the people…
If the boy David had fled when the lion and the bear attacked one of his sheep, no one would have blamed him. He was a small boy on the one hand, and facing two ferocious beasts on the other. He had his excuse… But he did not rely on excuses. He fought the two beasts and delivered the prey from their jaws, and he was able to kill both the lion and the bear (1 Sam 17:36). Thus he was faithful in the little—in that one sheep—and the Lord set him over much, and he entered into the joy of his Lord.
Many people are not faithful in their work, yet they look to higher ranks, saying, “If I were such-and-such, I would work and work…” Be faithful where you are, and the Lord will give you the same reward as those ranks.
God does not ask about your rank, but about your faithfulness…
Stephen, the first chief of deacons, will certainly have in heaven a position and crowns far higher than many chief bishops who were less faithful than he was. Just like a play you attend: the credit is not given to the one who played the role of a king or a leader, but rather to the one who perfected his role with faithfulness.
If you are faithful in the little—which is your own soul—God will set you over the much, which is the souls of others.
But if you are not faithful over your own soul, which you love more than all, know its depths more than all, and care for its eternity—if you are not faithful over its purity and its destiny—how can the Lord entrust you with other souls?
If you are faithful over your household, the Lord may set you over His household.
Therefore, it is required of the priest that he manage his own house well, having children in submission whom he has raised well. He was faithful in this small number of children, so that the Lord may set him over His many children.
Faithfulness in little can also be taken in another sense:
If you are faithful in the little—which is this earthly life—God will set you over the much, which is eternity…
There is no doubt that our life on earth is something very small, trivial, and almost nonexistent when measured against the eternity that has no end. We must be faithful in this little, and according to our faithfulness in it, God multiplies our reward in eternal life.
If you are faithful to this material, perishable body, God will set you over the luminous, spiritual body in the Kingdom.
Some may say: I want to reach the love of God—what is the way? We answer him: Be faithful in the little, which is the love of neighbor. For as the Apostle John says: If you do not love your brother whom you see, how can you love God whom you do not see?
Saint Anba Abraam, Bishop of Fayoum, was very faithful in the virtue of giving. He gave to the poor everything he had of money, and even gave his clothes and furniture, and he showed exceedingly great mercy.
When God saw the faithfulness of Anba Abraam in the work of mercy through money, He set him over the much, which is the work of mercy through miracles of healing.
God granted him multiple gifts of the Holy Spirit, by which he was able to complete the work of mercy toward people. Does a person then dare to ask God, saying, “Give me the gift of healing”? God would then ask him: Do you want this gift for vain glory or for mercy? And if it is for mercy, were you merciful with what was under your hand of resources? Were you faithful in little so that you might be set over much?
A person asks grace to grant him the virtues of the Spirit, and he is told: First be faithful in the little, which is the virtues of the body…
The asceticism of the body leads to the asceticism of the spirit, the humility of the body can lead to the humility of the spirit, and the reverence of the body leads to the reverence of the spirit… and so on.
In worship also, be faithful in little, and God will set you over much.
Be faithful in your prayer, however incomplete it may be, and God will give you perfect prayer. Persist in prayer, even if it is without contemplation, without fervor, and with a distracted mind. For God, because of your perseverance and faithfulness, will grant you pure, spiritual prayer.
If a person wants to get rid of sinful dreams, we say to him: Be faithful regarding the purity of your conscious mind, and God will set you over the purity of the subconscious mind and the purity of dreams.
Be faithful: if you abandon voluntary sins, then God will set you victorious over involuntary sins. With all faithfulness, resist the easy sins, and the Lord will give you victory over the difficult sins.
Satan sometimes fights you with small things to see the extent of your faithfulness to the Lord. If he finds you unfaithful in them, he fights you with the great and shameful sins.
The widow of Zarephath was faithful with the handful of flour and the jar of oil in the days of Elijah the prophet; therefore God set her over a good that did not run out throughout the famine. So also you.
Be faithful with the weak will that you have; use it with all the remaining strength in its weakness, and then God will set you over the strong will.
God does not ask of you more than what your will can bear. He does not ask you for much. He asks only for faithfulness in this little that is under your hand, and then He will set you over the much that is with Him.
If, for example, you are weak in the war of thoughts, my advice to you is this:
Be faithful with regard to the senses, and the Lord will set you over the thoughts…
There is no doubt that the war of the senses is easier. It is easier to resist sight and hearing than to resist thought. So persist in this little, that He may set you over the much…
Strive with all your strength. A time will come when God grants you the crown of righteousness—that is, a life of incorruption, a life in which there is no sin, no weakness, no inclination, and no fall.
Be faithful, then, in the freedom of your will, so that God may set you over the crown of righteousness.
There are many things within the reach of your will, and they are not difficult. Do them for the sake of the Lord, and then the Lord will give you what your will cannot do. Grace completes the work of your struggle, or accompanies your weak struggle—which is faithful despite its weakness—and grants it strength…
Do not seek the higher ranks, but be faithful in your current rank…
Leaps in the spiritual life are of no benefit; rather, faithfulness at each level leads to the next level. It is a spiritual ladder: whenever your feet are firmly set on one rung, you can ascend to the one above it…
Be faithful over your own temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells, and then the Lord may set you over His temple. Be faithful in your worldly duties, and the Lord will set you over spiritual matters.
What matters is that faithfulness enter into your life, so that you work with all your heart, with all precision, with all zeal, with all care, with complete faithfulness.
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An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Sixth Year (Issue Seventeen), 25-4-1975.For better translation support, please contact the center.
