No Quota, Only faithfulness

1 Corinthians 4:2, 2 Timothy 2:13, Matthew 25:21

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My life has undergone a rather dramatic shift in the last couple months. In April, my primary occupation was student. I was worried about final exams and papers and a thesis defense. But now I’m a vicar engaged in the ministry of the word, and that brings with it an entirely different and greater set of stressors and responsibilities. Am I going to fumble a sermon or a Bible study? Will people like me? Will my work be successful?

Amidst all these struggles, I found a lot of comfort in First Corinthians 4:2.

It is required of stewards that they be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2)

Now, in the context, Paul is writing against false teachers who were not faithful stewards of the mysteries of God. But even then, I think that there’s a lot of comfort to be found for what God requires from ministers of the Word. God doesn’t require perfection. He doesn’t require success. There’s no quota to be met, but he requires faithfulness. Doing what you can with what God has given you. And this is true not only for the ministry, but for all of our vocations as Christians. As a parent, spouse, or employee, God requires faithfulness. Doing what you can with what you have.

There’s no required level of performance. There’s no standard to be met simply to be faithful. And that takes the stress and the pressure off of us and onto God, because he’s the one who’s given us our gifts and the one who places us in the circumstances where he wants us to use those gifts. We aren’t perfectly faithful, but God does not require perfect faithfulness from us. Rather, he freely gives us the perfection of His Son.

If we are faithless, he remains faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Jesus lived a perfect life on your behalf and died an innocent death in your place. All of your sins and all of your failings, all of your unfaithfulness has been forgiven in him. And when our faithfulness is rooted and grounded in Christ’s faithfulness. We can be confident that on the last day our master will say to us,

Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25:21)

We don’t rely on our own performance or faithfulness, but on the mercy and grace of God. Amen.