There have been and will be many times that I am less than faithful to God and His work. I have in the past and will in the future, drift away from Him and work to accomplish things on my own. Through it all though, God remains faithful.

“¹³if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.” — 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)

I am grateful that God remains even when I do not. I am a sinner and God knows that. I may have accepted salvation and forgiveness for my sins, but I am still and will always be a sinner in this world. God does not give up on me even when He knows that I am a sinner and will continue sinning. He knows that largely, I will not actively and knowingly sin, although there will be times when I do. It is my repentance and knowing of sin that God accepts daily and that is why I must speak with Him regularly and repent for those sins that I will/have committed.

Why is it that God allows me to sin and still accepts and remains faithful to me? It is because He has a plan for me and that plan can only be carried out by me and He also knows that I will carry it out.

“¹⁰Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” — 2 Timothy 2:10 (ESV)

Paul is speaking of his enduring the pain and suffering that comes with being imprisoned. He keeps on keeping on for the sake of those that are gaining from him and his dedication to the gospel. Paul, I have no doubt, had a difficult time of it occasionally as he suffered for Christ. I am sure that as a man, there were times when he felt as though he might just give way. It is not chronicled in God’s word, but Paul was human and I am sure that he had his moments. The thing is, even in those moments, they were quickly fleeting and he put his head down and went to work for God and was rewarded with the comfort of knowing that he would soon be with Christ in heaven. Paul knew God was with him every step of the way.

“¹¹The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; ¹²if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;” — 2 Timothy 2:11-12 (ESV)

The above verses indicate that God is with me regardless of my circumstances. And they pour into verse 13, where I learn that “He remains faithful”. Regardless of where I might be or what I might be experiencing, God is with me and will remain faithful to me, even when I might not be with Him.

What is going on in your life that you might waiver from your faithfulness to God? Are you out there trying to go it alone? What if you just put your head down and continued to do the work for Him and allowed God to be faithful even when you may not?

“¹¹Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.” — 1 Timothy 3:11 (ESV)

This morning I was reminded of my duty to be faithful in all things as I read the passage containing the verse above. This passage in my ESV bible is titled: “Qualifications for Deacons”, however it is also qualifications that we should all have as a part of our daily lives with Christ.

A number of years ago we, Lori and I as well as our boys, were elected deacons of our church. And yes, I meant to say it was the four of us that were elected, as it is not a role solely for the patriarch of the family. Being a deacon is a role that is a part of the entire household and all in the house are responsible to be living for Christ. In the passage, and notice in the verse above, there are qualifications and direction specifically given for the wife of the deacon and the children have responsibilities as well, although not specifically addressed in this passage.

I have been studying the word “faithful” for the past few weeks and this morning I was reminded of the faithfulness to ALL THINGS that I have been charged with as a follower of Christ. It is not just in the things that are seen, but all things. It is not just those things in the church, it is all things. It is not just those things in my household, but all things. I am to be faithful to Christ in ALL THINGS.

Sitting here in my office all day it is easy to be less than faithful as no one sees or I have minimal direct impact on everyone all day long. I am alone and frankly can go hours without engaging with another person on occasion. Whereas that may be an opportunity to simply do as I please and not be concerned with anyone else, that is not the case at all. If anything, I have a greater responsibility to be sure to demonstrate my faithfulness even more. I have to be overt in my actions to be sure that others realize that I am there for them. I have to be outspoken enough that everyone I do contact knows that I am doing so for their benefit and not my own.

As a child of God, I have a duty to be and do ALL THINGS for Him. Looking at the qualifications for deacons, I have to apply those to myself and my family. I have to be sure that I am living for Christ in ALL THINGS. I have to be faithful to Him in ALL THINGS. The verse above indicates that wives are to be faithful in ALL THINGS, but that translates to me as well. I may not be a deacon of my church here in this world today, but I am a deacon in The Church and therefore I have a duty to meet and adhere to those qualifications of the election to that role that was bestowed on us as a family of God.

What things are you maybe less than faithful? Are you finding yourself in the position where you are looking for your qualifications? What if you were to take on the qualifications and directions of deacons in your life to begin your faithfulness in ALL THINGS?

Imagine having a guard that is with you all the time. I know that I see all the time that those of importance have guards around them all the time. Politicians, celebrities, the rich. All of them seem to be important enough to have someone or group that watches over them and protects them from evil and other things that are around them.

“³But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” — 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)

I have God who watches over me. He is my protector. He is my guard against evil and other things around me. I am important enough to have a guard around me all the time.

What a comfort it is to know that when I leave home and go into the world, I have one to go before and come behind me. I have God who is and will be with me always. I have a guard who is up before I am and goes to bed after me. I have that one who wants nothing but the best and safety for me.

The thing is that to the world, I may not be important. I may not be the one that everyone looks to. I may not have millions of “followers”. I may not have a select few that wish me harm. I may not have those that are envious of my position in this world. BUT, I AM IMPORTANT. I am precious to God. He guards me and protects me and His faith in doing so does not waiver nor will He walk away.

I have to remember that the world may not see me, but God sees me as precious and worthy of the greatest protection. I am worthy of His faithful guarding.

What is it that you wish you had that you could rely? Are you looking into the world and comparing yourself to those that seem to have it? What if you did not worry about anything as you were already protected and faithfully guarded against evil?

God’s word is filled with His blessings and as I was reminded this morning, instructions. I am continuing to study the word “faithful” and I was led to 1 Thessalonians where I read the passage titled “Final Instructions and Benediction” in my ESV Bible. Here I found instructions for me as a Christian. I found how I am to act, and how I am be with and around others. This passage is a great list of those things that we as Christians are to take on each day in our walk with Christ and our carrying out of His will.

I am reminded that God will carry out His part for sure in His faithful love of us and our well being.

“²⁴He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (ESV)

I am given a list of instructions on how I am to act and go about my life in service of God. Respect others, be at peace, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient, help others to not be evil, seek to do good, rejoice, pray, give thanks, do not “quench” the Spirit, do not despise prophecies, test everything, and abstain from evil. These are the instructions given in the passage. As I read in verse 24 above, God will be faithful to me and it is my duty to be faithful in my actions and with God.

I am sitting here this morning and looking at how I can and should be active in all of those instructions in my life and wondering how I have to this point. The thing for me to really know is that now is the time to look forward. I have to be sure to take what I read and know that I have to move forward and that I am not able to “change” anything that has gone on in the past, only that I can repent for my actions and move forward to not do again.

God is faithful to me regardless of the time or circumstance. I owe it to Him to repay His faithfulness with my faithful obedience to Him. I am bound by these instructions as a child of God. My past is just that, the past and I have to be looking to the now and into tomorrow where to go from here. I have been given the instructions and now I have to use those instructions to move forward and spread the gospel to all of those I am in contact with. I have to remember what I have been tasked with from God and know that He will use me to further His kingdom. These instructions are the “how to act and perform” while I am using the talents that He has given me to use for His glory.

What instructions are you working from in your life? Are you looking at and using those that bring glory to you? What if you were to put your own selfish gains aside and seek that which brings glory to God and use those to guide your actions?

God will allow temptation in our lives and He allows us to make decisions freely as to those temptations. I have heard folks ask, if God is so good, why would He allow evil to happen, and to those I will say that which is in my first sentence. Evil is in the world whether we like it or want it to be. Temptation is in the world when we like it or want it to be. When those come together, there are the choices to be made freely.

Just because there is evil and temptation in the world, does not mean that God is not with me. The Israelite people were God’s chosen and yet idolatry and temptation wast there. God did not abandon them, He dealt harshly with those that made those choices and participated. He allowed the people to choose and they did not choose wisely.

“¹³No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” — 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

And in the first part of the above verse, God gives us the answer. He will not allow for temptation or evil in my life that I cannot overcome. I will have the strength to make the right decisions, I only need act.

Even in times when I will not make the right decision, I will not be alone. I will have the strength provided by God to deal with the consequences, and you can see that He will give me the way to overcome and endure that poor decision. I need only trust in His faithful execution of His plan for me and there I will have the way to deal with the temptation and consequences of the poor decision made.

I am a sinner and will continue to be tempted with evil. I will continue to make poor decisions related to those temptations and the evil that is part of them. I will have to deal with the consequences and that may even be for some time. But, God in His faithfulness to me and His love for me will not let me endure on my own. I will be provided the way out, although, maybe not the way I want though. I will endure. I will have help. I will be able to rely on Him to get me through it. I will have still have to endure the difficulty and the consequences to my decisions, but I will have the help and helper needed to get me through all my decisions.

What decisions in life have you made that you are still trying to tackle on your own? Are you looking for the way to get through them? What if you just put your head down and allowed God to help you with the decision and faithfully provide your endurance?

God knows that we are not perfect and that we will certainly fail Him and continue to sin. I know that I am not anywhere near a place to call myself sinless or blameless in anything that goes on here in this world. What I do know is that God is faithful to me and will be until it is all over in this world and then beyond.

“⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— ⁶even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— ⁷so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (ESV)

That is a lot of verses, I know. I did not want to leave anything out and make sure that the context of the passage was more clear. The title of this passage in my ESV Bible is “Thanksgiving” and that is exactly what is conveyed by Paul here. Paul is declaring thanksgiving for all that has been given and more importantly will be sustained by our faithful God. Our gifts are given to continue the spread of the gospel for God the Father. We have been given them to sustain our movement forward all the while as we wait for the Father to return.

No matter where we are, we are provided for in those instances. God makes sure that we have what is needed bring glory to Him and to spread the gospel everywhere in the time we are given. I am encouraged by verses eight and nine above in that God will sustain me, “to the end” and He “is faithful”. I do not have to worry with God’s dedication to me and for how long it will be there.

I have a duty to give the same as given to me. I have to be faithful to God as He is to me and I have to do so “to the end”. I have to give all of me to Him as He has given all of Himself to me.

What have you given to God? Are you just in a place where you are taking from God and not really understanding all that He has given you? What if you were to believe in and accept the faithful provision God has given you and give your faithful works to Him in return?

God continues to teach me even in passages that seem the same. This morning I am reading in Luke 19, “The parable of the Ten Minas”. When reading I read a similar message to that of the talents. Master entrusts to servant and servant either grows that entrusted or not and then is deemed faithful for doing so or not.

This is a great message to demonstrate the need for me to take that which is given and work to grow it for the glory of God. It does not necessarily mean the monetary growth or that which is entrusted, but more of all that is entrusted. What I missed in the other messages was that which is not used and grown will eventually be taken away. And that which is taken away will be distributed to those that are doing the work to grow the glory of God.

“’²³Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’²⁴And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’” — Luke 19:24 (ESV)

Here we see the master taking away from the servant that simply held onto that which was entrusted as nothing was done to grow it at all, not even placing in the bank to add a bit of interest. This servant did nothing and for his trouble what was entrusted was taken from him and given to one that had demonstrated the work to grow.

I have to remember that when entrusted with something, it is my duty to work to grow it. I have to “use it or lose it” is an often stated saying. No, there is no guarantee that when working to use that which is entrusted growth will occur. However there is a guarantee that if not used, there will be no growth at all. I have to be faithful with my gifts and use them for the glory of God. I have to know that when I am using those gifts, God will multiply the reward for using them. I may not get to see that reward or the fruit that comes from my faithful use of the gifts, but I know there will be and that is fruitful enough for me.

What gifts have you been entrusted? Are you using them with the idea of “use it or lose it”? What if you were to just faithfully execute with the gifts given, knowing that the glory of God will shine and the fruit will come?

“¹⁰One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” — Luke 16:10-11 (ESV)

I read these verses and the passage they are from and I find the simple thing that when we are faithful in one thing, that will translate into all things. I know that it seems a bit simple and how can that be true as we have the ability to make decisions and just because I make a poor decision once, does not necessarily mean I will do it again. To that I say read the verse again and see how things move from one thing to another.

Notice in verse 10 the faithful or dishonesty in something small will be carried out with something greater. If I am faithful to properly handle the small amount that I am entrusted, I will be more inclined and trusted to handle a much larger amount. This is carried into the world in our jobs, right. As I begin in a role in the front lines and demonstrate my stewardship with what I have been entrusted for the role, I am rewarded with more responsibility and promotions and being entrusted with larger amounts. When I am unable to be faithful with the small things in that starter role, I am either overlooked for more responsibility or I am removed from the role altogether.

I am entrusted to be faithful with small things for the glory of God. I may not have the high end role and visibility as others such as the pastor, the elders, or others in the church, but I am still responsible for those things that God has entrusted of me. I have a responsibility to be a good steward of those things I have been entrusted. These may be the greatest that I will be entrusted and there may not be anything additional, I am just to do the work assigned by God and do it faithfully. My faithful obedience in that which I am entrusted will lend my faithful obedience in all that I am entrusted.

God only wants from us that which He entrusts to us. I have a responsibility to the faithful stewardship of that which He entrusts to me and I should not be looking for more “riches” only looking for how I can be faithful with all that He entrusts.

What have you been entrusted with to be faithful? Are you in it for yourself or are you looking out for the glory of God? What if you devoted yourself to being faithful to God’s glory and that which you were entrusted and did not worry with how you are seen in the world?

I am to be a good steward with what I am entrusted/given, no matter what that might be. It is for me to be sure that I am using that for the glory of God so as not to waste it.

“²¹His master said to him, ‘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.’” — Matthew 25:21 (ESV)

Jesus is in the middle of the parable of the talents here and is noting the faithfulness of the one that was given the ten talents. Regardless of that which is given, it is important for me to remember that I have a responsibility to use that which is given. I am not just to let it sit and gather dust or be protected from anything negative. It was entrusted to me and I am to use it.

I want to be clear here in that Jesus is not and I am not saying that one has been given and therefor can do with it what they want. I have been given to specifically by God and that which I am given is to be used and acted on to grow the kingdom of God. I have a responsibility to think and do with the mindset of growth and expansion, but I have to do so as I look to do what Jesus would.

I think of all of those that are in the world that have been given a talent and have not exactly been good stewards of that talent. The celebrities that have gained fame and fortune and yet lost it all or are completely miserable based on the emptiness in their lives. And then I think of those given a talent and have furthered God’s kingdom. All those that have stayed under the radar and spoken out for God and used their talent to spread the good news and how they are continually rewarded for their faith and stewardship.

It is not for me to grow rich based on what I am given. It is for me to grow God and others with what I have been entrusted. I have been given a chance to “use my powers for good” as I like to say and it is up to me to take it. I have been given the opportunity to be here with you and share what I have learned and offer you the chance to read and learn. I have this platform, that is not free, and with it I am able to grow God’s kingdom. I am being a steward with what God has entrusted in me.

What talent or thing has been given/entrusted to you? Are you using that for the advancement of God’s glory? What if you channeled your gift to the growth of God’s kingdom and allowed Him to be glorified?

I was chosen by God to serve. I have been tasked with bringing the gospel to the world. I am a servant of the LORD. I am His disciple. I will be successful as He is faithful and chose me to do His work.

“⁷Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: ‘Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’” — Isaiah 49:7 (ESV)

God will not let me down. He chose me and as such, He will be with me for all time. I can go with confidence through this world as I do His work. God will not leave my side and will protect me all the way. He said it and therefor it is true.

I have been tasked with being a disciple for Him and He has given me all the tools to be successful. As an instructor, I know that my learners will not retain everything I give them, but I am confident that they can retain where all of the information is found and how to use the resources. God has done this for me. Whereas I know that love is the one thing that will carry me through, I also know that the answers to how to move forward are found in His word. He has provided me with the resources needed to get all the answers.

I am a servant of the faithful God. I do His will in my life. I know that He is with me and I can go in confidence. His faithfulness does not waiver. He chose me and I am His.

What do your think about your relationship with God? Do you feel as though you are His and that He is faithful? What if you just turned over to Him and trusted that His faithfulness would carry you? What if you acted as chosen by Him?