WATCHWORD:
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
45 “Are you a wise and faithful servant of the Lord? Have I given you the task of managing my household, to feed my children day by day? 46 Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. 47 I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own! Matthew 25:45-46
Meditation:
Faith Part 2: Faith vs. Faithful
Jesus calls us for our “Little Faith”, then he reassures us that “if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed…nothing will be impossible for you”. If we are such slow learners, why take so much time with us? How about God’s love for us? Oh, wait, that requires faith on our part, doesn’t it? Can we take it on “faith”, a faith that is so little, so skimpy? Yes, we can and must. God’s love is a free gift, why do we even debate?
Faith as a noun or a verb? What does that mean? How about faithful. Is there a difference? Yes, there is. Well, our faith, which we cannot see, cannot feel, and cannot watch, is both a noun and a verb. Faith as an identifying label is a noun, as in, “Yes, I have faith. I believe in Jesus as Lord.” Faith that is active, that leads us to step-up, to follow what Christ would have us DO, being faithful, this is action, a verb.
There is difference between faith and faithful. We can talk about our faith in Christ, and we can talk about our walk with the Lord, and we can share what it means to us having Christ in our lives, but are we really being faithful? Is our faith reflected in our day-to-day lives? Oswald Chambers states that the “true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness…to display the glory of God” in our everyday lives.
At our church, we have a sign above the door as you leave the sanctuary, that reads: “You are entering the mission field”. You come to church on Sundays, you worship God, you bring him all your praises, you sing the hymns with a fullness of heart, but do you take your faith, your active faith, your faithfulness out onto the street? Are you really entering the “mission field”?
Faithfulness, like Love, can be seen in the actions and on the faces of those who are committed followers of Christ, i.e., “They will know we are Christians by our Love.” It is a practice, it is a life-blood to follow our Lord. In doing so, we share Christ, sometimes without words. Amen? Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Where faithfulness is most difficult, it is most necessary.
Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord, not matter what trials await us tomorrow, may we never forget the blessings you have shown us. Help me cling to you as my anchor. Help me remember your steadfast love and faithfulness for me in all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
