Faithfulness

A few weeks back I was sitting in a gathering of pastors from our local area. We met to pray together. To pray for our communities and churches and families. As we sat and talked and prayed, I noticed that many of the men who were present were on the older side of life. As I listened to these men pray, I began to think about faithfulness. These are men who have been vocational ministers for decades. They have seen and heard much joy and much pain. They have experienced these things in their own lives. They have spent hours upon hours reading, studying, and memorizing Scripture. These men bring to mind Hebrews 12 and the great cloud of witnesses. These men “run with perseverance the race marked out” for them. They have fixed their eyes on Jesus and are pursing him relentlessly. As I have been thinking about this, I have found deep encouragement in it.

The primary reason faithfulness is encouraging is that it reminds us of the Lord’s faithfulness. We have placed our trust in the one true God. The One who breathed life into existence and sustains all things. And he is faithful in all things. He keeps all of his promises. When I see other Christians who have been faithful over the course of a long life it is a reflection of and reminder of God’s faithfulness. We can only be faithful because he is first faithful. When we look around and see the elder saints in our lives who have been faithful for decades, let it remind us of God’s great faithfulness.

This reminder is vital for us as we walk through our lives. Everyone reading this will know that our lives are full of events that overwhelm us with happiness and joy. Events such as the birth of a child or a new marriage. But our lives are also full of events that overwhelm us with sadness and despair. Events such as the death of a loved one or the evil we see in the world around us. But in the midst of all of this, we are given reminders. We are given pointers. People enter our lives who, through their words, actions, and attitudes, point us to Jesus and his faithfulness to us. This is a blessing beyond measure.

As we move out into our day today, let’s keep our eyes open for the faithful among us. Let’s look to those whose faithfulness is a reflection of Christ’s faithfulness to us. And let’s be reminded that the one true God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die and rise for us.