A PERSON OF FAITH REMAINING FAITHFUL

This past week my thoughts kept going back to two popular Bible characters from the Old Testament, Joshua and Caleb. I have always been encouraged by the faith they displayed upon returning from spying out the land of Canaan with the other ten spies Moses sent into the land as recorded in Numbers 13. They stood in opposition to the recommendation made by the ten not to cross over Jordan and take the land the Lord had promised to them. Joshua and Caleb believed with all their hearts that God would give them victory over the inhabitants of the land and restore to them the land God had promised Abraham over four centuries before their time.

I am sure most of you know the outcome of this story. The people listened to the ten in spite of Joshua and Caleb's pleading to the contrary and as a result the Israelites were banished to the wilderness for forty years.

The thing that is most striking about Joshua and Caleb for me is the faithfulness they displayed over the rest of their lifetimes. In their heart of hearts they knew they were right concerning their report yet they endured the punishment of the wilderness along with the rest of the nation believing by faith that someday they would receive the inheritance promised them in Canaan. No one would have blamed them if they had thrown up their hands in disgust and left the camp. They could have taken what belonged to them and their families and struck out on their own and found somewhere else to settle far away from these weak, whining countrymen of theirs. But they did not. To the contrary they stayed the course and suffered through the next forty years as faithful servants of God. They did not complain. They did not cause problems. They did not instigate a petition against the leadership of their people. They simply trusted and served God faithfully for the next forty years.

In a time of God's own choosing, they as a nation, once again came to the banks of the Jordan River and God told them the time had come to cross over. The lesson for disobedience had been learned. Joshua the faithful servant was now at the helm of the people. He and Caleb were the only two men of fighting age from the original number of men who had fled Egypt that survived. They were now going to reap their reward for their faithfulness. Their perseverance is one of the greatest stories in the Bible. In my mind their faithfulness is more remarkable than their initial display of faith.

I have known many people who were both people of faith and people who were faithful. It seems that in each of the four congregations I have pastored over the past twenty eight years there have been people who have displayed this type of Godly character. They have faced great obstacles in their faith, they have weathered some great storms in their lives but they have remained faithful and God has blessed them in some wonderful ways. Church members who feasted on the memories of the past who trusted God through some tough days believing that even greater days were ahead. Wives who endured a lot of heartache at the hands of unbelieving husbands holding on to the faith that some day those same husbands would worship the Lord alongside them. Parents that refused to give up on an adult child that had been reared in the church but believed they knew better than Mom and Dad.

Many of us have exercised faith in times past. But that is not enough. We must also be faithful if we are to reap the reward God has in store for us. It is my desire to be faithful until the end. I do not want to be known for some solitary act of faith in my life when I die. No, I want to be known as a faithful servant of the Lord for the whole of my life. I want to leave behind an example my children and grandchildren can follow. I am not concerned with the accolades of men, I am concerned for the eternal well being of my loved ones. My greatest treasure in Heaven will be my wife, my children, my grandchildren and everyone else that God has given me the privilege to impact along this highway we call life. I am convinced the best way to accomplish that is to simply remain faithful to the Lord day by day by day until that final day on this earth comes for me.

How about you my friend? Are you faithful to the Lord each and every day? Are you pleased with the witness you display to those nearest to you? More importantly is God pleased with your witness and your faithfulness to Him?

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan