This past Monday, I met with my director, and great friend, Billy, and in our two hours together a ministry leader, whom we both know, was brought up in conversation. I was surprised to hear that he is pastoring a church of over 4,000 and has written a book! I jokingly said, “Oh Billy we could write a book too!” He responded, “About what?” Then we went on to lay out a quick, rough table of contents for a book about faithfulness in ministry, when you don’t see results! We aren’t sure that people would be into a book on this topic, but it got us thinking, moreover, it really got me thinking about faithfulness.
First off, it got me thinking about how the world we live in, no matter what country we are in, doesn’t value faithfulness. How often do we hear the statistics about marital affairs and divorce? I can’t count the number of times I’ve read about this or heard it come from peoples’ mouths. Or how often do you see family quarrels break families up? How often do you see life-time friends end their friendship over something so trite? This isn’t even bringing up politicians or the business world! Simply put, we as a human race, aren’t a faithful people. Some of us might “get it” more than others, but I’ll be honest with you, on my “best day” of faithfulness, I’m surely still lacking!
Over the last year, I’ve wrestled with the lack of faithfulness of many. I’ve been shocked to see people turn their backs on longtime friends, simply for what was best for them. It’s wrecked me. As I’ve walked, or I should say crawled, through this time, I’ve grown to prize faithfulness more than ever before. I value it more in relationship, in ministry, and more. I long for my own heart to get, what it means to be faithful and that, Lord-willing, as God enables faithfulness in me, it would spread to those, He has placed around me.
I’ve been in Prague, long-term, for going on 4 years. I’m often praised for my faithfulness, as people hear how hard the language, how many Czechs say their atheists, how long it takes for them to respond to the Gospel and so on. As I hear this, a feeling of self-righteousness creeps up on me and I need to realize, that I am the most miserable of faithless people apart from my Savior. As I’ve contemplated, this conversation with Billy this week, a verse from 2 Timothy has been hanging around my head.
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
I’m that faithless individual, but He is faithful! He remains faithful. Then the new Shawn McDonald album (Closer) came out on Tuesday and I’ve listened to this song on repeat.
Listen to the words… Let them kick around in your head a bit. Be thankful, that even though we are a faithless people, He is faithful!
