Faithfulness is a choice we make every day of our lives

Faithfulness

 

Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life--Revelation 2:10

 

In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul speaks of nine fruits of the Spirit, one of which is faithfulness. Faithfulness is a matter of loyalty as well as strict adherence to allegiance and duty. Faithfulness to God and his word must never be underestimated because it is one of the great conditions of our salvation (Hebrews 3:14). Hearing and being obedient to the implanted word of God is essential as we begin the Christian journey but we must understand that once we begin that journey we must stand firm in the faith (James 1:21-25; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 5:1; Hebrews 4:14).

 

 Loyalty and a firm adherence to the commitment we made when first we began the Christian journey, namely to obey, serve and honor our God under any and all circumstances is the price we must pay in order to keep us safe from those things we encounter daily that threaten the salvation of our soul (James 1:27; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 5:22; 1 Timothy 5:22; Hebrews 12:1-2).

 

A deep, abiding faithfulness in our God will make it possible for us to face with the greatest of confidence any trial or temptation we encounter on our journey to eternity. Because we are weak, frail, imperfect humans we must, every day of our lives fervently fight the good fight of faith lest our faithfulness fail us and we fall prey to the devil as he seeks to devour us (1 Timothy 6:12; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 1 Peter 5:6-9).

 

The writer of Hebrews speaks of having an anchor of the soul, one that is sure and steadfast. He tells us that hope is that anchor (Hebrews 6:18-19).  The hope that serves as an anchor for the soul is Jesus Christ in whom we have the hope of eternal life (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 5:8-9).  But understand that the strength of that anchor lies entirely in the kind of faithfulness we have in God.

 

Faithfulness is a choice we make every day of our lives. I pray that our faithfulness will never be so shallow that it will not allow us to trust God implicitly (Psalms 62:8).  I don't know nor do I understand why this journey sometime becomes a trail of tears but the God I love, trust and serve does know and so long as I remain faithful to him, He will see me safely through this life. What is true for me is also true for each of you To God Be The Glory.

 

 

2 Buck Books

The Most Valuable Book

Paul Batura has a friend named Ben that owns a bookstore in Colorado
Springs. The bookstore, which features used books, is called 2 Buck Books.

Explaining to Batura where he obtained the books in his shop, Ben said, "All
of these things come from the boxes of books people bring in - you'd be
amazed what you find."

"Ever find anything really valuable?" Batura asked him.

"My old colleague, Sandy, once took in a big box of books, most likely from
an estate sale. It contained a Bible," Ben replied.

"A valuable Bible?" Batura asked.

"Once she opened it up, she realized it was hollowed out - and it contained
$2,000."

"I think Sandy tried to find out the owner, but never did," Ben added.

Reflecting on his conversation with Ben, Batura wrote: "I've been thinking
about the person who brought those books to Ben's store, never realizing
that the Bible had $2,000 in cash inside - because he or she never bothered
to even crack the cover of the most powerful and most important book ever
written. A book that has changed countless lives for the better."*

The Bible is "the most powerful and most important book ever written"
because it is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through His Word, God
reveals Who He is, what He has done and will do, and what He expects of us.
In the Bible we learn of God's great power and His great love. We learn
that God loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son Jesus to die on
the cross for our sins (John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24). God's Word teaches us
that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

John Fawcett wrote these lyrics in 1782 extolling the value of God's Word:

How precious is the Book Divine,
By inspiration given!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine
To guide our souls to heaven.
It's light, descending from above
Our gloomy world to cheer,
Displays a Savior's boundless love
And brings his glories near.
It shows to man his wandering ways
And where his feet have trod,
And brings to view the matchless grace
Of a forgiving God.
This lamp through all the tedious night
Of life shall guide our way
Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day.

God's Word teaches us that He will save those who place their faith and
trust in Christ (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). God will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Paul Batura has a great recommendation: "So if you have a Bible in your
house, open it up. You might just be surprised what you find inside. And you
might never be the same afterward."

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "An old Bible held a shocking surprise that
turned out to be an enriching experience" by Paul Batura, www.foxnews.com.

David A. Sargent, Minister