Barriers To Faithfulness

In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus told a parable of a nobleman who was to embark on a journey. Before leaving for His journey, He gave 10 of his servants 10 minas; that is, each servant received a mina from the Master. On giving each servant a mina, the Master said to them, "Occupy till I come”, "Do business with what you have received till I come.”

When the nobleman returned and was rewarding the servants who had occupied while He was away, the servants who had done business with the money received, the nobleman told them, "Well done, good servant; you have been faithful."

So, Jesus is coming back to reward faithfulness. "Occupy till He comes" is a parable Jesus gave on the importance of faithfulness. Another way of phrasing "Occupy till He comes" is: “Be faithful with what you have been given until He comes.” Or, “Be a diligent steward while you wait for Jesus' return.”

God has given each of us our own 'mina'. We have been given talents, gifts, skills, special abilities, resources, and the time to use what He has given us for His glory. We, therefore, have to prove ourselves as reliable and dependable servants, as Jesus is coming back to reward our faithfulness, commitment, and trustworthiness.

Today, we are considering the barriers to faithfulness as seen in this parable.

BARRIER 1: NOT STARTING WHERE YOU ARE

The servants were to put the money they had received to use at the level they were. They were not to wait for the next level of change or growth in their lives; they were not to wait until their present problem or challenge was resolved. They were not to wait for a pleasant, favorable, and conducive atmosphere before putting their mina to work. They were to be faithful at their present level, irrespective of what that level was. They were told to occupy till He comes at their present level, not when they moved to the next level (Luke 19:13).

Faithfulness is about being trustworthy, reliable, and dependable where you are, not where you hope, desire, or dream to be. It's about being faithful with what you have, not with what you hope, desire, or dream to have.

Many people wrongly believe that they will display a higher level of commitment and faithfulness once they start making more money, have a car, move to a bigger house, get married, or have a child. Or they would be more dedicated if they were head of their department or unit, or placed in the position of the CEO of their organization. What they fail to realize is that if you can't be faithful with little, you won't be faithful with much, as Luke 16:10 rightly puts it.

Joseph had a big dream before him, that he would one day be a great and influential leader, and his family would bow down to him. But Joseph didn't wait until his dream was fulfilled before he started being faithful. He started by being faithful with little things; he started by being faithful as a servant to Potiphar.

Don't let what you hope to be, achieve, and accomplish in life become a barrier to your being faithful. At your present level, with what you have right now, make yourself available to be used for God's glory. Stop waiting for "perfect conditions" before you are faithful. Be faithful whether you are in the ‘pit,’ ‘prison,’ or ‘palace.’

BARRIER 2: HIDING BEHIND OTHER PEOPLE'S FAITHFULNESS

The instruction to occupy until He comes is given generally to all, but the reward is given individually. In the parable, the Master gave the instruction generally to 10 servants to occupy until He returns, but when it was time to reward faithfulness, each servant had to individually say what he had done with the money he received (Luke 19: 13, 15-23).

Instructions to occupy until Jesus comes, serve God diligently, be faithful in prayer, walk in holiness, meditate on the Word of God every day and night, love your neighbor as yourself, and so many others in the Bible, are given generally; the rewards are given on an individual basis. Each person has to give an account for their life (Romans 14:12).

When the Master returned, the unfaithful servant couldn't hide behind the faithfulness of the faithful and trustworthy servants. He wasn't covered because his co-servants or colleagues had done the right thing and had been faithful, which is a mistake many people make. They think they will be covered by the faithfulness of their parents, siblings, Pastor, spouse, prayer partner, or best friend.

God does not reward group faithfulness or faithfulness by proxy. That is, you are not there, but you want to be covered by the faithfulness and diligence of others. That's not how it works in the Kingdom of God. Each person has to work out his salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Each person has to run the race God has marked out for him or her (Hebrews 12:1). Another person cannot run your race for you; another person cannot run his race, and you will be rewarded for it.