Faithfulness 101: The Real Truth

I don't like it when spiritual truths are vague and mystical.  I think too many times we who have grown up in Christian homes and have sat in 5, 982 Sunday School lessons ASSUME that everyone understands what we mean when we use big spiritual words.  I've had some good friends who have helped me understand that sometimes it's important to stop and clearly explain what exactly we mean when we spatter off this Christian jargon. We also make the mistake of expecting other Christians to understand what we mean when we discuss these familiar terms.  Today I was led back to one of my favorite Bible Characters (Samuel) and it was like this profound and clear explanation of FAITHFULNESS jumped right off my Bible page at me.  So, maybe you've heard people like me or other Christians pleading with you to be Faithful. Maybe you did understand what it meant, but just in case you  didn't, here is Faithfulness 101 from the life of Samuel.

1.  Faithfulness is not a choice.  I Sam. 1:11, 24-28
From even before Samuel's conception he was dedicated to the Lord.  He did not have nor was given the choice of the service of his life.  Even as a child of 3 he was taught by his mother the purpose of his life.  Why do we as Christians make faithfulness to Bible reading, prayer, Church, Service a choice? We often act as if we have the right to make that decision with our lives.  God has called all of us to be faithful whether we want to or not. 

2. Faithfulness takes sacrifice.  I Sam. 1:26-28
Can you imagine how hard it was for Hannah to leave her precious preschooler in the temple, only to see him again 1 time each year?  It will take sacrifice to faithfully read your Bible, to faithfully attend church, to faithfully serve the Lord.  There may be many times you'd rather rather be watching that move than reading your Bible.  I garauntee there will be times when you have to give up something you'd rather do than serve.  How can we not be faithful after Christ sacrificed so much for us?

3.  Faithfulness means separation.  I Sam. 2:17-18
The 2 sons of Eli the priest (Hophni and Phineas) were living in open and defiant sin to God.  These few chapters are interesting as they show the contrast between Hophni and Phineas and Samuel.  Samuel could have "gone with the crowd" and done exactly what these two older (maybe cooler) boys were doing but instead he remained "faithful" to God's service and God's Words.  Sometimes to be faithful it means we have to say "no, I won't do that" or "no, I won't go there".  It's not always the popular thing to separate from a crowd that is headed to sin, but to be faithful we might need to separate.

4.  Faithfulness means doing what it takes.  I Sam. 3:1
I can only assume that it wasn't the most glamorous job to serve Eli in the temple.  I imagine he had cleaning chores and other manual tasks.  There's usually not a long list of volunteers for jobs of this nature within a ministry, but I don't ever see Samuel complaining about his daily tasks. He did anything and everything he was asked to do.  He did whatever it took to serve his Lord.

5.  Faithfulness means being rewarded.  I Sam. 2:1, 20, 26, 35
God always rewards faithfulness.  This is the primary reason faithful people stay faithful.  They have stayed the course long enough to see the blessings God gives.  Faithful people go to depths of intimacy with the Lord that keep them seeking to be faithful. 

So the next time you hear someone taking about being a "Faithful Christian" you will better understand what exactly that means.  All from the life of a little boy named Samuel. 

Just Sayin'

I made 2 loaves of homemade bread yesterday.  This was my first successful accomplishment of bread making after several failed attempts over the years.  This bread turned out soooooo delicious and my family has really enjoyed it.  I know they want me to keep making it, but it is exhausting! It's complicated!  There is so much work and preparation! You have to mix the yeast and let it sit, add ingredients and let it sit, add more and let it sit, punch down the dough and let it sit, and on and on.  After several hours you FINALLY get to bake it and out comes an amazing, golden brown, delicious warm loaf of bread. 

All I could think about with this experience is how much this symbolizes ministry.  So many Christians want a slice of the bread, but they don't want to do the work to make it! The list is long for people to sign up to join a small group, to be mentored by a small group leader, or to do anything that benefits THEM! Everyone wants to run to the table to enjoy a piece of this amazing bread, but very few are signing up to do the work it takes to get there.  Ministry takes work and there are the same few servants who faithfully show up every week to work, "to make the bread", so that the majority can enjoy.  Maybe it's time for Christians to start carrying their weight. To stop enjoying the bread and start helping to make it.  Maybe it's time to slip out of your small group for a semester and work the nursery.  Think of the impact you could make on that lost and hurting mother by keeping her child in the nursery and letting her feel the love of a Christian family that could change her life.  Christians are always so busy gobbling up the bread that they leave nothing for those who are truly hungry.

Doesn't this remind you of the children's story of the little hen who needed help harvesting the wheat, threshing the wheat and baking the bread? All of her friends were too tired or hot to help.  At the end when the bread was done they conveniently were there to eat the bread.  Of course we know that the hen did not let them eat it because they had not worked for it.  Wow, can you imagine if we didn't allow people to "enjoy" the benefits of ministry until they had served somewhere? We might accuse a church that did that as being harsh.       

"He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.   So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Mt 9:37–38

How can you work in the house of the Lord? Is it time for you to take your turn "making the bread" so others can enjoy and be fed?