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Tag: faithfulness

  • Faithfulness in the Small Stuff

    Faithfulness in the Small Stuff

    Each time we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Table at Harvest we read our confession of faith. One part of it goes like this: “We believe that private and family prayer, the reading of the Scriptures, punctual attendance to the public worship of God and gathering together of His people, and special appointments for the purpose of corporate prayer, Bible study and Christian fellowship are in accordance with the Scriptures, and are important privileges and duties of professed Christians, and that obedience is the best evidence we can give of genuine love for the Lord.”

    These are good things to believe, ‘Bible’ things. Who we are ‘as believers’ is far more than who we are ‘at church’ – “the public worship of God.” It’s also who we are at home – devoting ourselves to “family prayer” and “the reading of the Scriptures.” We might say that all of this is summed up in the statement that closes the paragraph: “Obedience is the best evidence we can give of genuine love for the Lord.” Jesus put it just like that! He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

    There’s no question that there’s a tendency to think we’re more faithful than we really are. “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6)

    It’s little wonder then that the Psalmist bemoaned the scarcity of faithfulness in Psalm 21:1: “Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.”

    But have you ever noticed that it’s often easier to obey the Lord in the ‘big stuff’ than it is in the ‘small stuff’? There can be a tendency to think the ‘small stuff’ doesn’t matter as much, but it does to God! In fact, our obedience in the ‘small stuff’ may give us the very best snapshot of the condition of our spiritual health.

    Faithfulness in Finances

    The finances the Lord entrusts to us should be managed with integrity, frugality, generosity and great care. That’s because what we spend our money on is a pretty solid indicator of what really matters to us. What we’re willing to pay for is what we really care about. It just is.

    Our careful attention to the small ‘stuff here’ will lead to the Lord trusting us “true riches,” spiritual riches. Jesus asked, “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” Why? Because, Jesus said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10-11).

    And notice what our Lord will say to His faithful servants at His Second Coming: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master” (Matthew 25:21).

    Over and over again Jesus reminds us that what we do with the ‘small stuff’ matters!

    Faithfulness at Work

    Work is another area where it’s easy to let our guard down. After all, a lot of our time is spent there! We usually work with the same people. Familiarity can set in.

    We sometimes forget that God loves those people so much that He sent you and I to work alongside them! We’re there to tell them the truth about God, to pray for them in their distress, to testify of His goodness and of His incalculable love for them.

    But if we’re not careful to tend to the ‘small stuff,’ we can easily damage our testimony in an unguarded moment. And remember, it’s our testimony that gives us the moral authority to share the Gospel effectively. In order to share our faith and be heard, our hearers must at least believe that we actually believe what we’re preaching – that it matters enough to have changed our life.

    Furthermore, faithfulness to God (or the lack of it) is expressed in the way we manage our obligations at work. If someone has hired us to build his business, we should be faithful to work as unto the Lord in doing so. In Luke 16:12, Jesus asked, “If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?”

    Paul echoed the same sentiment in 1 Corinthians 4:2: “It is required of stewards [those who manage the property of another] that they be found faithful.”

    We often miss this, but we shouldn’t. We’re to work for our employers as though we working for the Lord Himself. “Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men,” Paul warned, “but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:22-24, HCSB).

    And there’s the rub: we’re not ultimately working for our employer’s paycheck, but for the Lord’s reward.

    The Lord’s Reward

    The faithful Christian has the Lord ever before his or her eyes. Salvation is the Lord’s work, but faithfulness is ours. And while the reward should not be our primary motivation for remaining faithful, the Lord does want us to know that He is the Great Rewarder. In fact, if we would truly please the Lord we MUST believe that He is just that! For “without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He [#1] exists and [#2] rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

    And that’s precisely what the Lord will do at the Bema Seat Judgement – He will reward believers for their faithfulness. Unfaithfulness will be met with “loss” – not of salvation, but reward.

    1 Corinthians 3:13-15: “ … each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

    In another place, Paul reminds us that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

    And, in yet another place, that “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God …each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10,12).

    The Lord is Searching for Those Who Are ‘Completely His’

    God is looking for hearts that are fully devoted to Him. He’s searching for that kind of faithfulness – faithfulness in the details, the ‘small stuff’. 2 Chronicles 16:9 puts it this way: “The eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

    That’s how I want my heart to be: completely His. I wish I could say that’s always the case, but it’s just not. I need to be more faithful in the ‘small stuff’ because the ‘small stuff’ really matters.

    Jesus, of course, rebuked the hypocritical Pharisees for concerning themselves with only the ‘small stuff’: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.” But notice, He didn’t tell them to ignore the small stuff! Rather, He said, “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” (Matthew 23:23).

    Faithfulness to the Lord certainly means being faithful in the ‘big stuff,’ but it means being faithful in the ‘small stuff’ too. And as we strive to live lives that please the Lord, let’s do so embracing the promise that, “a faithful man will abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20).

     

    To consider

    If it’s true that “obedience is the best evidence we can give of genuine love for the Lord,” then what does your love look like lately?

    Are you more faithful to God in your public life or in your private life?

    Is there a difference?

    Should there be?

    What might you do to change that?

    Do you find it harder to honor the Lord in the ‘big stuff’ than you do in the ‘small stuff’?

    Why do you think that’s true?

    Do you manage your finances in a way that please the Lord?

    Are you a good steward of what’s been entrusted to you?

    I made the point that what we spend our money on is a pretty solid indicator of what really matters to us.

    Do you think that’s true?

    Why or why not?

    If it is true, reflect upon what you spend your money on. Is what’s important to you important to Him?

    Do you honor the Lord in your work?

    Paul said we’re to work for our employer as though we working for the Lord Himself.

    “Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord” (Colossians 3:22-24, HCSB).

    Do Paul’s words reflect your own philosophy of work?

    Do you remember to hide the Lord’s promises that He will reward faithfulness in your heart?

    How might doing so change your attitude toward work and your employer?

  • Sarah’s Dandelion

    Sometimes the smallest act of kindness (which is, of course, one of the fruits of the Spirit working in us), can have a profound and lasting impact upon others. In Serving, the Biggest Honor in Life, Milt Culver retells a story written by pediatrician David Cerqueira. David’s wife was a Sunday school teacher at Church and she’d prepared a lesson on being useful.

    He writes: “She taught the children that everyone can be useful, that usefulness is serving God and that doing so is worthy of honor.

    The kids quietly soaked up my wife’s words, As the lesson ended, there was a short moment of silence. A little girl named Sarah spoke up. [She asked,] “What can I do? I don’t know how to do many useful things.”

    Not anticipating that kind of response, my wife quickly looked around and spotted an empty flower vase on the windowsill. “Sarah, you can bring in a flower and put it in the vase. That would be a useful thing.” Sarah frowned. “But that’s not important.” “It is,” replied my wife, “if you are helping someone.”

    Sure enough, the next Sunday Sarah brought in a dandelion and placed it in the vase. In fact, she continued to do so each week. Without reminders or help, she made sure the vase was filled with a bright yellow flower, Sunday after Sunday.

    When my wife told our pastor about Sarah’s faithfulness, he placed the vase upstairs in the main sanctuary next to the pulpit. That Sunday he gave a sermon on the honor of serving others, using Sarah’s vase as an example. The congregation was touched by the message …

    During that same week I got a call from Sarah’s mother. She worried that Sarah seemed to have less energy than usual and that she didn’t have an appetite. Offering her some reassurances, I made room in my schedule to see Sarah the following day. After Sarah had a battery of tests and days of examinations, I sat numbly in my office, Sarah’s paperwork on my lap. The results were tragic. She had leukemia.

    On the way home, I stopped to see Sarah’s parents so that I could personally give them the sad news. Sarah’s genetics and the leukemia that was attacking her small body were a horrible mix. Sitting at their kitchen table, I did my best to explain to [her] parents that nothing could be done to save her life. I don’t think I have ever had a more difficult conversation than the one that night.

    Time pressed on. Sarah became confined to bed and to the visits that many people gave her. She lost her smile. She lost most of her weight. And then it came: another telephone call. Sarah’s mother asked me to come see her. I dropped everything and ran to the house.

    There she was, a small bundle that barely moved. After a short examination, I knew that Sarah would soon be leaving this world. I urged her parents to spend as much time as possible with her.

    That was a Friday afternoon. On Sunday morning church started as usual. The singing, the sermon it all seemed meaningless when I thought of Sarah. I felt enveloped in sadness.

    At the end of the sermon, the pastor suddenly stopped speaking. His eyes wide, he stared at the back of the church with utter amazement. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at. It was Sarah! Her parents had brought her for one last visit. She was bundled in a blanket, a dandelion in one little hand.

    She didn’t sit in the back row. Instead she slowly walked to the front of the church where her vase was still perched by the pulpit. She put her flower in the vase and a piece of paper beside it. Then she returned to her parents. Seeing little Sarah place her flower in the vase for the last time moved everyone.

    At the end of the service, people gathered around Sarah and her parents, trying to offer as much love and support as possible. I could hardly bear to watch. Four days later, Sarah died.

    I wasn’t expecting it, but our pastor asked to see me after the funeral.

    We stood at the cemetery near our cars as people walked past us. In a low voice he said, “Dave, I’ve got something you ought to see.” He pulled out of his pocket the piece of paper that Sarah had left by the vase. Holding it out to me, he said, “You’d better keep this; it may help you in your line of work.”

    “I opened the folded paper to read, in pink crayon, what Sarah had written: ‘Dear God, this vase has been the biggest honor of my life. Sarah.’ Sarah’s note and her vase have helped me to understand. I now realize in a new way that life is an opportunity to serve God by serving people. And, as Sarah put it, that is the biggest honor of all.”

     

    To consider …

    • I think it’s easy to forget that our portion, our service – no matter how insignificant it may seem – always matters to God and may have a deep, unexpected impact on those we serve. That’s because love has a way of breaking through the “particulars” of any act of kindness to reveal something far bigger than the act itself: the love that drives the action. Can you think of some small thing you’ve done for someone else, driven by your Christian love, that mattered to that person more than you could have imagined? What made it so effective? Why was the person touched so deeply?
    • As I look back at my life I can remember many ‘Sarahs’ – some who are at home with the Lord – who left a small “dandelion” behind that still makes me smile. How about you?
    • Are you dropping pedals behind you as you walk through your day?
    • It’s important for us to remember that the gifts we set before the Lord are eternal gifts. In Mark 9:41, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” Because our gifts of service – motivated as they are by pure love – are given into the Lord’s hand, He infuses them with life toward those whom we serve.
  • No Honesty Without Trust

    No Honesty Without Trust

    Telling the truth is not usually an easy thing to do. Remember when you were a kid and you did something wrong? Remember when mom or dad or a teacher asked you to ‘fess up? You knew what telling the truth meant. It was a risk then, and it still is.

    Telling the truth can mean risking censure. Or destroying a friendship. Or having to labor to fix what we’ve broken. Or hurting someone’s feelings.

    It’s risky, always has been, always will be. And, interestingly enough, the one person we tend to lie to more than anyone else is – you guessed it! – ourselves.

    Telling on ourselves is exceedingly risky. We risk having to admit that we’re not as awesome as we thought we were. That we’ve made mistakes, even serious mistakes, as parents, as friends, as co-workers, as followers of Jesus.

    Looking at ourselves in a soul-mirror can be cringeworthy indeed! We may not like the person that we find there. What we see in that reflection may be hateful, unforgiving, gossipy, overly-ambitious, inconsiderate, unkind, and on and on it goes. We don’t like to believe this about ourselves, but God is continually calling us to a deep and honest self-examination.

    The great equalizer here is trust. If we’re wise, we don’t bare our souls to many people because becoming truly transparent requires a deep trust for our confessors. Some people will use our weaknesses against us. Others may gloat in their own moral superiority or even look down upon our failures. That’s one of the truly tragic things I’ve witnessed in couples who are divorcing: they often use their spouse’s deepest secrets against them. And it is excruciatingly painful to watch bitterness reign in a scorned person.

    But a true friend won’t do that. A friend sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24) and the wounds of a true friend are faithful (Proverbs 27:6). If you’re blessed to have someone like that in your life –  a true friend – then you are blessed indeed.

    But understand this, Jesus is our greatest friend. On the night that He was betrayed, He told His disciples, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

    Jesus is a real friend, a faithful friend. His wounds are always faithful – meant to heal us and make us more like He is. We can confess everything to Him honestly because He is trustworthy. It’s only when we confess what we are that He can begin to make us what He wants us to become.

     

    For consideration . . .

    • Do you find it hard to open up to others because your trust has been misused in the past? Does some of that extend to your relationship with God? Do you trust Him in all areas of your life?
    • Trust requires risk. The great equalizer here, though, is the faithfulness and goodness of God. Think about his faithfulness to you throughout the years. Consider how He’s been with you through the storms of your life to bring you to the place you are now. Considering the faithfulness of God will make us more trusting and willing to risk being gut-wrenchingly honest.
    • Jesus says we’re more than mere servants, we’re His friends. Is that How you see your relationship with Him? Not familiar or irreverent in any way, but warm and caring?
    • I love the Proverb that says the “wounds of a true friend are faithful” (Proverbs 27:6). A true friend will tell us what we need to hear because he or she loves us and wants us to be spiritually healthy. They love us more than their relationship with us and they’re willing to risk that relationship to tell us the truth. And sometimes the truth is hard to hear. It hurts. But remember, the “wounds of a true friend are faithful” wounds because God uses them to make us more like Jesus. Which wounds, though hurtful at the time, has God used to help you grow in your walk with Him?