Faithfulness and Obedience
Faithfulness and Obedience
Introduction
Two major foundational principles of the Kingdom of God are faithfulness and obedience. These come up over and over again. Let’s begin with looking at Mark 6.
Mark 6:45-47 – Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land.
Can you imagine the conversation on the boat? Why are we going there? What will we be doing? Where is He and what is He doing? How come He isn’t with us?
Furthermore, they are having a hard time rowing against a high wind. This is not unusual in our journey with Him. There are difficulties, confusion and often the feeling of abandonment.
God’s Blessing
It is wrong to assume that if Jesus compels us to do something and we obey, it will lead us to great success (normally measured in worldly terms).
This teaching often expressed through what is called the prosperity teaching – is greatly in error. Let’s consider what Hebrews says about the so-called hall of fame people it lists in Chapter 11.
Hebrews 11:13 – All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
If we look over the last 2,000 years we see that obeying Jesus often came at huge costs to those who responded to Him, including torture and death.
Jesus is more concerned about what is happening to us when we are on the journey than He is about us reaching whatever end we are seeking. In fact, whenever we do reach the end, He immediately sets out another journey for us. It is during whatever journey we are on, where we learn to depend on Him and have to call on or rely upon the power He has made available to us. We need this for the now time in life, not only the future.
Your goal and mine, is to stay calm, be faithful and seek after His peace while in the midst of whatever comes our way on our journey with Him, understanding that God is not so much working toward a particular finish in our lives – although finishing well is important – but His purpose is the process itself.
When we get into the training God sets for us, it is important to realise that much of this training is seeking to produce something in us for now, not just for later. He has a purpose for us in each hour of the day – not just for some future time.
We often won’t know what will follow our obedience to Him and that should not be our focus when in training with Him anyway. We are on a continuous journey seeking transformation in our everyday real time schedule.
Faring Well
To “fare well” is a very old English saying, meaning to live in a specified way (i.e. well, or with competence) over an extended period of time. Although it includes “doing well” it is more than that. It describes a journey of life that will mean something and count for something not only for today but for many generations to come. This is the promise God gives to all those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Faring well is not about experiencing a stress-free life full of joy, fun, money, and other benefits. We may or may not receive these things in this life for a number of reasons
Jesus came to Earth to bring something far greater to humanity than just to prosper us in the way the Western world measures it. The promise we are given is that if we worship Him and are prepared to put our life on the altar for Him, and are seeking to glorify His name in our life, we will “fare” well.
The reward that Jesus is promising is that we will discover and engage in the purpose of life for which we were created. This is the ultimate goal in life. In the Hebrew Scriptures the wonderful Hebrew word “shalom” covers this.
Shalom
Shalom is more than peace. It speaks of wholeness. It is about completeness, peace, and welfare. Shalom comes about when things are the way they ought to be. It is when natural seeds are satisfied and natural gifts are producing fruit; a time when all things are in harmony with God’s holiness.
Although the ultimate expression of this won’t be here until Jesus returns – we are encouraged, as sons and daughters of the Living God – to pursue this today because it was reinstalled on the planet at the coming of the Kingdom of God. This means that it is available to us in ever increasing amounts, based on our response to Jesus and our maturity in the way of the Lord.
Stewardship
One pathway to achieving faithfulness and obedience in our lives is through right stewardship.
Luke 19 has the parable of the minas in it. The focus here is on the person who put the mina he was given, in his handkerchief and did nothing with it. Let’s see the Lord’s response.
Luke 19:24-26 – Then he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’ I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
Because this guy did not bring any increase he lost what he had been given. The point made here is that this guy’s great sin was to be irresponsible – meaning he did not properly steward what God entrusted to him. The way we steward what we have been entrusted with is of major importance to the Lord.
Stewarding Our Problems
One of the things we are called to steward – which is not often talked about – is our PROBLEMS.
God gives us problems as an item to be stewarded. Paul teaches this in Romans 5.
Romans 5:3-5 – And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
See – if we do not seek to find physical, mental or spiritual solutions to the problem’s life brings to us, we make ourselves guilty of being LAZY, irresponsible and unfaithful, just like the unfaithful steward in this parable.
Times of tribulation often come to us through the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us? Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God?
If you have been walking with the Lord for more than a few years, you should be in His harness undergoing a disciplined life with your Master. Part of our problems are to prepare us for such a time as this building into us perseverance, character and hope.
Now – the degree we are going to be able to achieve this depends on how well we know Him, how well we understand His ways, and how faithful and obedient we have been so far, to His call and placement on our lives. Wherever you live, God has you there during this time, for a purpose?
You carry things your community needs. Are they going to get them or are you doing to hunker down and put His training and provision for you in your handkerchief? The Lord expects you to be fruitful and multiply what He has already entrusted you with.
In all problems we face we must determine that God knew that it was coming, and to stand before Him with our faith. We should join with our families and communities and ask Him to show us how to overcome this problem, armed with faith and power.
Do We Have the Power?
Power sharing in the Kingdom of God is a developed process and works in parallel with being a faithful steward. It works incrementally. Therefore, all actions on a personal, marital, family, community or national level – must be based on the foundational principle of being a faithful steward.
Now we certainly should stay in our lane or within the boundaries of our maturity. If we exceed that we will most likely fail or get overwhelmed. But my point is that we can probably do a lot more, in times such as this, than we think. Both individually and in the community that God has placed us in.
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Don’t Be Self Focussed
James 1:5 – But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
What we need most in these times is wisdom. Knowledge on its own fails us. Everyone has access to knowledge. We need to take the knowledge and bring through the grid of a Biblical worldview to find out how to best apply it.
Question
So where has God placed you today? Wherever it may be – God has put you there for such a time as this. You can bring wisdom to the knowledge your industry or workplace already has.
Many of you are spending a lot more time at home these days. How is that going? Are you finding a few things rising up in you that you thought were long gone – or maybe some new things?
Don’t be condemned – the Holy Spirit is showing you what your workout routine should be focusing on right now.
You cannot make this about you. If you are in Christ, you are blessed and highly favoured. You have the Holy Spirit living in you to enable you to make the most of this opportunity. He has been preparing you for such a time as this – others need what you have – are you looking to give it to them?
Shaking Happens
Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 that during this age we will see wars, earthquakes and diseases and famines. He did not expect us to be disheartened by these things. He warned us not to think this is the end of the age – they are birth pangs and create great opportunities to the faithful.
It may well feel that deep darkness covers the earth right now – if that is the case God puts out His call to us, saying,
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:1-3).
We must believe that we have been put on earth for such a time as this. We have work to do. The world needs us right now.
Colossians 4:5 – Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
People will be talking about this time for many years to come – how much of us will be part of that conversation and survival story they will be sharing?
God bless you.
Bruce Billington