S47P4 – A show of faithfulness: a sign of faith
Hebrews 10:19-23
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
He was not a risk taker by any means. He measured his steps very carefully and always weighed the possible outcomes before making a decision. That is why it was so out of the ordinary for him to take that new position. This was a fledgling company with young leadership and not too much organization. It seemed like everyone there was shooting for the moon without a concrete plan in place. Still, he joined the team and worked his fingers to the bone. Even when the returns were minimal, he still kept at it. It was only after the successes started to stack up that he told me why he had taken that leap at all. He had faith in his leadership even when things did not look like they were going well. His remaining faithful during those lean times was a sign of his faith in them.
Everything God requests from us has a purpose. In many cases, there are multiple purposes. Today’s scripture gives us the paramount reason why we should remain faithful to God; He is faithful to us. This addresses the difficulty in our being loyal during times of fear, worry and anxiety. Faithfulness can crumble when it looks like it is all for naught. Today’s scripture tells us to forget about what we perceive. It tells us that God’s faithfulness is reliable and factual regardless of what we see. If we truly have faith in him, we will trust him to be faithful to complete everything He has promised. The times when we waiver indicate that our faith in him has been wounded in some way. Complete faith in our heavenly Father and his faithfulness should bring about faithfulness in us.
When faithful obedience to God brings the scorn of people, and we remain faithful despite that scorn, it shows our faith in his reward of blessing for those who obey him. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and it cannot manifest without faith in God. From this perspective, our faithfulness to God is a kind of measure of our faith in him. If we believe him when He tells us that our loyalty and obedience to him are for our own good, and if we believe in his promise of eternal freedom, faithfulness should come easier to us. When we are presented with the opportunity to be unfaithful, let us pause and ask ourselves whether our faith is sufficient to remain faithful. Father, increase our faith that we might increase our faithfulness to You.