Two Facets of Faithfulness

Monday, April 11, 2011

by Dr. Paul Chappell

"And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil. And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory."

2 Samuel 23:9-12

As Christians, we are not called to be successful but to be faithful.

Little Norman was a normal kid in the neighborhood, but unlike many of the kids, he didn't attend church anywhere. He grew up in a Southern, religious region of the nation and while most families attended church each week, Norman's family didn't have a church home. One summer he was invited to Vacation Bible School by a neighborhood boy and he decided to go. Since most of his friends went to church there, Norman returned to the church for Sunday school after VBS was over. In fact, he attended church for over four hundred Sundays, each week being picked up by the same bus driver. It wasn't until his senior year in high school that he gave his life to Christ and was saved.

What would have happened had the bus driver become frustrated with Norman's lack of conversion? What if he had tired of driving the bus route? What if the Sunday school teachers who taught Norman had shirked their responsibilities? While only one worker was able to see Norman's conversion, they all had a part in his life-changing decision because of their faithfulness.

As Christians, we are not called to be successful but to be faithful. We won't always see the fruit of our labors, but God encourages us to remain faithful in those labors. David was surrounded by several faithful men who weren't the most talented or prestigious, but were willing to be used of God. Today let's see two ways these men were faithful.

Faithful to God. David's mighty men learned foremost that faithfulness begins with trust in a faithful God. Proverbs 3:5-7 explains, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

To be able to remain faithful even when the king was pursuing them took trust in God. These men had to trust that God was going to be faithful to them even when circumstances would convince them otherwise. Similarly, your faithfulness must begin with trust in God. You must believe that God is in control, that His will is supreme, no matter what situations you face.

Faithful to finish. The men listed in 2 Samuel 23 weren't conditional warriors. These men stood by David's side even when armies who vastly outnumbered them stood across from them. They stood ready to defend David until the day David died.

What would it take to break your faithfulness? These men faced life-threatening situations that could have broken them, but they were unaffected by the threats of others. Don't allow your faithfulness to be shaken by the winds and storms of life. Your faithfulness will be tested, but commit right now to being faithful until the end of your life.

How can believers be faithful despite terrifying circumstances? It all comes back to trusting in a faithful God. When you make God's promises the foundation of your faithfulness, nothing can shake your faith. Are you grounded on a trust in God today?