Life of Faithfulness

Why we do what-we-do is usually an interesting consideration. For example, why I buy a particular brand of corn meal can be traced back to the brand my Mom bought. Whether it is the best brand or not is irrelevant; since it was good enough for Mom, it's good enough for me! Mister Bill and I have been reading through the Book of Genesis, and right now we're studying the life of Joseph, one of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel. The way God wove His divine purpose through the many difficult circumstances of Joseph's life is amazing. If there was ever one in Scripture to become discouraged and give-up, I suggest it was Joseph. What we see, however, is a young man whose faith was about as steadfast as anyone mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. We read, "The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man" (Genesis 39:2) ... "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love" (Genesis 39:21). Through all of Joseph's struggles, he remained faithful, and why? In the words of Dr. J. Vernon McGee, "his faith made him faithful." Yes, Joseph had a right view of his God: "The Lord is faithful ... He will establish you and guard you against the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV). Joseph had heard of the promises of God and seen evidence of their sureness in the generations of his family. He knew "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV). We may not always answer sufficiently why we do-what-we-do but never let us hesitate to know that it is a right and sound faith in the eternally Faithful One that leads us to a ... life of faithfulness.

Best Shape

In recent years, there have been movies that feature "shape-shifters" - fictional characters with the ability to transform their bodies into different forms, which they use for good or evil. While such a being is purely fictional, I suggest that spiritual shape-shifting actually exists! My pastor asked this question recently: "what is shaping your life?" He was, of course, speaking of one's spiritual shape, and it's a very good question! Every person's belief system is formed by something, literally many things. That on which we feed our minds and hearts build the truths that determine our ideas and responses toward God and others. When we readily accept the world's trendy and fluid truths, we end up with a non-Biblical worldview that easily conformed to change rendered us spiritual ... shape-shifters. Oh, how critical and essential it is remain firm - to retain our shape - by seeing God's Word as the eternal truth It is: Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away" (Matthew 24:35 ESV). There is nothing more comforting, more re-assuring, more steadying than holding to The One Who changeless and Whose Word is likewise unchangeable! Are you guilty of spiritual shape-shifting? If God's Truth is your one and only truth, rest assured you are in the ... best shape.

Continue

Perhaps you remember the day of television antennas and antenna rotors. On command, the rotor would turn the antenna to a position where there was little interference, and a clear television picture resulted. I can hear the unique sound of that rotor now!  Daniel was a man of discipline: regularly, he bowed in reverent prayer to God. When the king gave an order prohibiting petitioning (praying) to any god besides the king, read what Daniel did: "Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he went into his house (now in his roof chamber his windows were open toward Jerusalem); he continued to get down on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously." (Daniel 6:10 AMP). I like that word "continue," a word practiced very sparingly by God's today. The habit of unceasing and holding steadily is interrupted by so  many alternating passions - yes, interfering with God's call for His children to be faithful. For Daniel to keep-on-doing-what-he-was-doing (continue) meant being thrown into a den of lions (V.7). Yet we read that Daniel continued to honor God in his life. The psalmist David wrote, "But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and tender mercy; at Your holy temple I will bow [obediently] in reverence for You." (Psalm 5:7 AMP). There is an overwhelming sense of continuance in David's words, a resolve to stand firm - allow no interruptions nor interferences. Given the terrible persecutions of Christ-followers in other countries, it is most shameful how we [in this country] refuse to continue in our faithfulness - we allow family, friends, work, ball games, health, etc. to come before the most important things - prayer, worship, study, service, fellowship. To be quite blunt - we are all too guilty of allowing other things to "interfere" with what should be a priority for those who love Jesus. Once that rotor got the antenna to the right position, [on a good day] the picture was clear and all was good. Let Daniel be a model for us to continue in our honor and reverence for God, allowing nothing to interfere - to become an excuse for failing to ... continue.

Trust First

Clear and simple instructions are best, don't you agree? Wordiness often just gets in the way of following the instructions. David wrote in Psalm 37:3, "Trust in the LORD and do good." Can it be more simple? I suggest it cannot be more simple yet oh how complicated doing good when we do not ... trust the LORD. We know the right (righteous) thing to do but then we begin to consider what "doing the right thing" will mean for us personally. That kind of thinking leads to compromise or neglect or disobedience. The simple command to trust God and do what's right becomes ... complicated. The rest of Verse 3 is this: "Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness" ... by trusting in the LORD, we feed our souls on His perfect faithfulness. What are you feeding your soul, your spirit, your mind? If it is not God's indisputable goodness and faithfulness, your soul is most likely starving spiritually. Notice there is a right order to building a life of faithfully doing good - first, trust the Lord ... trust first.

Extraordinary Light

It's really not an uncommon word yet one not often used to describe a person - that word is "extraordinary." We may not use the word so much but we certainly know "extraordinary" when we see it. The two words combined - extra + ordinary - describes one who is ... extra ordinary. This word is used to describe Daniel: "Then this Daniel, because of the extraordinary spirit within him, began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and the satraps, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire realm." (Daniel 6:3 AMP). In its context, this verse tells us there was something about Daniel that surpassed others, and the king took notice! From this, it is safe to conclude Daniel was extremely capable to do his job well; in the context of Daniel's life, however, we can also conclude there was something extraordinarily pleasing to God in Daniel's spirit. How often do we look toward what we've been equipped and called to do but we lack the proper attitude? God says to us, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23). Lest we forget, Daniel had been taken unwillingly from his home and subjected to pagan customs and kings yet he had an extraordinary spirit - his good attitude set him apart from others. As children of God we are commanded to "do all things without grumbling ... that we may be blameless ... children of God ... without blemish in the midst of a crooked world" - yes, we are to "shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:14-15 ESV). The corruption around us, however, tends to corrupt our attitudes and diminish our ability to "shine as light" as commanded. Daniel is a model for each of us: even in the worst of circumstances, he remained positive, faithful and one of an excellent spirit. Paul wrote, "have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5 ESV). I like the two-word word ... extraordinary, and that's the kind of light I want to be ... an extraordinary light.