September 17, 2019
I think we all go through dry spells in our lives, and knowing that the Lord looks at our hearts and doesn’t judge us by our successes but by our faithfulness lifts a lot of the pressure. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the time to ask God about how we can do the job better, or see if there’s anything we can learn or do to improve, but it’s something we can do while we’re trusting Him for the outcome.
Paul spoke to the Corinthians about how within one job, each person has their part to do for the Lord and that all the credit shouldn’t be given to just one person. At the end of the day, the Lord is the one who touches people’s lives and changes them for the better; we simply help lead them to Him. Maybe our part was to say a kind word, give them a smile, pass on a scripture or quote to read, or to pray with them. And aside from our part, we’ll never really know how many others contributed to that person’s encouragement or change as well.
Paul said, “The Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service.”1
I’ve decided not to get discouraged if I don’t see the results of my labors, either immediately or over the long term. I’ll leave that up to the Lord and His timing.
Remember, the commendation we want from the Lord at the end of the day is, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”2
In the meantime, let’s enjoy the little blessings and successes that come our way, knowing we’re all part of God’s great master plan.—Nina Kole
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God is the judge of even our thoughts and motivations. All will be brought to the light when we stand before Him.3 … As fruit is unique to each tree, our fruit is unique to us. God knows what He has entrusted to each of us and what He expects us to do with it.4 Our responsibility before God is to be “faithful with little” so that He can trust us with much.5—From gotquestions.org6
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In the harvest field now ripened,
There’s a work for all to do.
Hark, the voice of God is calling,
To the harvest calling you.
Little is much when God is in it.
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown, and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.
Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.
When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
“Welcome home, My child—well done!”
—Kittie Suffield
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In a culture that celebrates newness and excitement as inalienable rights, we are tempted to believe that living an ordinary life of faithfulness to an ancient God is a stale alternative. But an ordinary life of faithfulness to an extraordinary God is anything but stale. God cares deeply for us, his people, and lives devoted to making much of him are full of joy. …
It is easy to feel ashamed for living a “boring” life of faithfulness to an ancient God, a life defined by a quiet pursuit of holiness and humility. But we shouldn’t feel discouraged by our ordinary lives of faithfulness, for the fruit of our ordinary faithfulness in this temporary life is everlasting joy.
In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the master says to his servant, “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.”7 May God make us content living ordinary lives of faithfulness instead of reaching for novelties and clutching the wind. No novelty can rival the joy our Master has stored up for us.—Chris Martin8
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Faithfulness is steadfastness, constancy, or allegiance; it is carefulness in keeping what we are entrusted with; it is the conviction that the Scriptures accurately reflect reality. Biblical faithfulness requires belief in what the Bible says about God—His existence, His works, and His character. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit; it is the result of the Spirit working in us. But the Spirit is also our seal of faithfulness. He is our witness to God’s promise that if we accept the truth about God, He will save us.
In that list in Hebrews 11 is the example of Enoch, who “obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”9 Faith, or a faithful commitment to who God says He is, is basic to walking with God. As Jesus traveled, He responded to people’s faith and curtailed His involvement where there was no faith.10
Enoch understood that God rewards those who seek Him and trust Him with all their hearts. We trust what God does because we trust Him, not the other way around. In other words, we trust God even when He is silent and we see no miracles. That is part of faithfulness. We know God is reliable, steadfast, and true.
The Old Testament saints also had faith in the invisible work of God.11 Abraham never saw his descendants become “as numerous as the stars in the sky.” Moses never entered the Promised Land. And none of the Old Testament saints lived to see their Messiah. But they were faithful. They believed God would do as He promised. They lived by faith and not by sight.12
Faithfulness is believing that God is who He says He is and continuing in that belief despite the vagaries of life. Functionally, that means we trust what God says in the Bible, and not necessarily what the world or our own eyes tell us. We trust He will work out everything for good. We trust He will work His will in us. And we trust that our situation on earth is nothing compared to our future reward in heaven. The only way we can have such faith is by the Holy Spirit’s influence. He testifies to the truth and impels us to seek God. The Spirit makes us faithful.—From gotquestions.org13
Published on Anchor September 2019. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 1 Corinthians 3:5–9 NIV.
2 Matthew 25:21 NIV.
3 Hebrews 4:12–13.
4 Luke 12:48.
5 Matthew 25:21.
7 Matthew 25:21.
9 Hebrews 11:5b–6.
10 Mark 6:1–6.
11 Hebrews 11:13.
12 2 Corinthians 5:7.
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