Faithfulness - is what He wants from us

Today I speak of faithfulness. It is not a hard topic to understand. It is a hard topic to choose, consistently. Put to other words, it is hard to be faithful in faithfulness.

One reason is the necessity of being attentive. In the latter years of David's reign, the people's loyalty to David were taken away by a man who was extremely attractive named Absalom. We have David's lagging attentiveness (which eventually led toward the people being drawn away from him). Likewise, we have the children of Israel not being attentive to follow after the Lord's anointed. In a very real sense, we see a model of how Satan likely tried usurping the throne of Christ. On earth, the plan worked a great deal better than in heaven. Regardless, the short and long-term results were to glorify God.

Another reason is the necessity of being steadfast. When Jesus was at the height of his popularity he was approached by thugs directed by a prior disciple and, through a kiss, Jesus was betrayed to the earthly powers-that-be. Jesus had the authority to pull any number of angels to change the events that lay before him. But Jesus was faithful in the execution of his duties, even to His own death. Again, we see the results of faith-based action resulting in God being glorified.

A third reason is the necessity of accountability. When the ten virgins were made aware of the approaching bride-groom, they rushed to meet him. Half had enough oil to sustain themselves. The other half missed the boat. If all ten had been accountable to one another, there would have been ten wives for the groom. Instead, five virgins missed out on what they had likely spent their lives in preparation. Again, we see the reality of faith-based decision making evidencing God's glory, as well as the awareness that choosing the path of steadfast faithfulness realizing the reward set aside for faithful believers.

The simplest approach to resolving the tendency toward faithlessness is captured in many points in scripture. From Revelation's note that those who are faithful to the last (receiving nearly every reward) to the same captured in the psalms (for example, where it suggests the love of the law is exemplified by meditating on it all day - every day).

There are two aspects to faithfulness - the daily and the hourly

• Hourly

• - Over-arching focus on the immediate
  

• Are you being faithful to the responsibilities of your house, your job, your spouse, your family, your vehicles?

• Is your heart focused on the faithful execution of your duties?

• Is there any duty or responsibility you take for granted?

• Is it possible, your mind wanders while in the faithful execution of those duties?

• Daily

• - Over-arching focus on accomplishing God's goals

• Are you mindful of what God has given you to accomplish?

• Are you working, daily, on your goals?

• Are you seeing measureable increases in faith over time?

• Are you evidencing the fruit of the spirit?

CALL TO ACTION

Spend half an hour today in prayer, talking to God, asking him to convey to you in what manner you should be faithful in today.

Ask Him to help plan you day in such a way that you take care of your responsibilities AND resolution of faithfulness.

Ask Him also to reveal to you your next big AND little step, to be mindful of both.

Discover someone in your life to whom you can be accountable to and charge them to be accountable to you as well.

You may note that it will bear the most fruit to find a person who already loves God.

Develop a Godly relationship of accountability with this person.

Building My House

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”

In the past, I’ve often read this verse without thinking too much about it. Not until the past year or so have I started thinking about what it actually means to be a wise woman and to build my house.

Obviously, in order for a woman to have a house, she must have a husband… or does she? I’ve always assumed that for a woman to begin her Proverbs 31 act, she must have a husband and a home. I don’t think that now.

Habits are not formed overnight. Equally so, women of wisdom are not formed overnight. To be one of the Proverbs’ wise women, it has to start in the single years when there is no one. The cultivation of diligence, kindness, wisdom, strength, prosperity, etc. must begin from the very beginning and must be carefully tended throughout the growing-up process.

Building a house, I discovered, does not refer to the actual obtaining of husband and home. Building a house is the careful collection and connection of pertinent building blocks of life. Learning to cook and clean, studying how to raise children and how to discipline properly, making sure relationship with God is strong and secure, investigating whether or not God has been used to fill the holes in life because a husband and home never will, and so on.

I was blessed to realized that building my house is something I can do right now while I’m waiting. Every action I take from when I get up in the morning to when I lay down at night is training me for life as a wife and mother; training me to be a woman of wisdom as I build my house. My prayer is that I would take this revelation to heart and build my house, not tear it down.