I know it’s been a few weeks, but I haven’t forgotten my commitment to speak some more on Southbrook’s values. Today was a no-brainer for me since “faithfulness” kept coming up again and again in my quiet time
I Samuel 20 finds the young pre-king, David doing his best imitation of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. He’s stayin alive! About a decade of this legendary figure’s life was spent in a teeter totter relationship with the evil, King Saul. One day Saul has David sitting at the royal table like part of the family—the next, he’s throwing a spear at him! And this would be the pattern year after year after year. Yet David was God’s chosen leader for Israel!
If this is how God treats His friends, what about His enemies?!
If we’re honest, trials sometimes make us feel that way—like God has it out for us. That’s because, deep down inside all of us know we don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy. As a result, when we do not experience blessing, we ‘feel’ like we’re only getting what we deserve.
Wanna know what throws a wrench in all of that? Each of us also experiences times when we ‘feel’ like we’re doing everything right…
- faithfully witnessing to others about the love of Christ
- faithfully tithing
- faithfully serving
- faithfully gathering for corporate worship
faithful, faithful, faithful…
Yet pain and suffering are dogging our every step. At times like these, “Faithfulness” is really put to the test.
It’s easy to be faithful in the good times. But when nothing is going our way and it even ‘feels’ like God isn’t upholding His part of the faithfulness agreement—that’s another story, isn’t it?
In chapter 20 of 1 Samuel, David asks Jonathan, “What have I done?” This is somewhat unusual because most of the time David seems acutely aware of the fact that he hasn’t actually done anything worthy of Saul’s jealousy and anger. It’s a “Saul” problem, not a David one. But sometimes outside circumstances just look too ‘one sided,’ and even the most faithful and godly can be lured into the numbers game.
Know the game?
- Everyone’s against me. They can’t all be wrong, can they?
- Everyone’s gossiping. Am I that bad?
- Everyone see’s it. Am I blind?
The ‘feeling’ is directly proportional to the number of people who seem to be conspiring against us. But God’s word is filled with righteous people who stood against the ‘numbers…’
- Noah against, well, everyone on planet earth!
- Elijah against the 400 prophets of Baal (not to mention around 400 more false prophets from other gods).
- Esther against an entire empire.
- Job against all his so-called friends
- Paul against the Judiazers
- Jesus against the religious establishment
- Moses against Egypt
- Joshua and Caleb against the 10 other spies
- Stephen against the mob
When it comes to right and wrong—when it’s a matter of being odly—seems like majority seldom rules. So what should we do when following God puts us in the minority?
Value faithfulness above popularity and relationships. In doing so the one relationship that matters most will stay strong to the end.