Ardent American Patriot and Lover of Israel
will the lord return and find his children faithful?
"Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6)
Faithfulness is like a rare and precious gem. It is difficult to find a real such gem, though there are many who will offer their virtues as a substitute.
Moses, however, was one such man.
"And Moses verily was faithful in all his house." (Hebrews 3:5)
So was Abraham.
"So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (Galatians 3:9)
Moses and Abraham were full of faith in Gods Word; therefore they were faithful to Gods Word. The very word "faithful" means "full of faith."
God is not impressed with those who boast of themselves and their qualifications or who belittle others.
"It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory." (Proverbs 25:27)
Actions speak louder than words, and it is better to let ones works speak for themselves.
"Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." (James 2:18)
The rare quality of faithfulness – firm and reliable commitment to ones convictions and responsibilities, in accordance with Gods Word and Gods leading – is proved in practice rather than proclamation. May God help us to be faithful servants, for;
"it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2)
It is quality, not quantity, of service that God measures. Faithfulness – not fruitfulness – is required.
There is one glorious promise regarding faithfulness – not our faithfulness, but the faithfulness of our Savior.
"If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13)
"For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith |literally, ‘faithfulness| of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be |found| true, but every man a liar." (Romans 3:3-4) HMM
Technorati Tags: faithful,moses,proverbs,faith,stewards,blessed,abraham,honey,men,william cody bateman
March 14, 2009 - 1:03 am
I have been praying for strength in my life and I feel like God is testing me right now to see if I can handle what has came up, anyway I pray all the time to be ready when he comes for his brides, if I say or do anything that I think is wrong, I like right then ask God to forgive me. I want to be strong and I am trying so hard to live right and be ready for my father to come get me. I try so hard to be faithful and of course I also need prayer. But if I told you the blessings God has given me , I think all you could do is smile and probably feel God's spirit. I guess I need to have more joy, but I can talk about the Lord and I cry. Sometimes I pray ' God just let me touch the hem of your garment and I raise my hand up, I reach for it , and you know Michael I feel like I can almost feel the garment. Yes I am trying also to be ready for that wonderful day.
March 10, 2009 - 5:02 pm
Excellent post. As I read it, I am necessarily reminded of how simple it all really is. We toil, endeavor and strive to deserve the things that God gives us freely; missing the point and creating, for ourselves, seasons of spiritual lean, whereby we feel as if God's blessing in our lives is not proportionate to the energy we've expended to deserve it. It is an elegant trap of the enemy.
Meanwhile, God's focus is on the thing that matters: The state of our hearts. Faithfulness starts there. Yes, it manifests as action, be it genuine. However, without Godly intention, faithfulness is just following rules. There is a time for that, but in the Kingdom of God, the smallest act of obedience, service or compassion fueled by genuine, heartfelt faithfulness, will echo into eternity far beyond the largest action based on routine or a sense of lawful obligation.
And, as you alluded, God's faithfulness is perfect…ours is not. So I guess it is a good thing that I can pray for his help in being faithful. Because apart from his help, I am lost and utterly moot.
T. Michael Cart
March 10, 2009 - 12:46 am
I'll take a listen to that particular series also – part of our waiting upon Jesus' second coming is to remember that we "are the rewards of His suffering." Keep studying and looking up!
March 9, 2009 - 10:38 pm
Interesting timing of your post. Today, I was just listening to D.A. Carson on "How to Wait for Jesus"
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1669_carsons_semi...