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| Volume 24 Number 10 October 2022 |
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| Volume 24 Number 10 October 2022 |
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Am I Faithful?
Gary C. Hampton
I want people to see in me compassion, a willingness to forgive and dependability, to name a few attributes. Faithfulness is another characteristic I hope people see in me. I want people to think of me as a faithful or loyal friend. I also want to be known as one striving to live faithfully in my relationship to God.
Faithfulness is required of those outside of Christ (Hebrews 11:6). The source of faith is in hearing “the word of God” (Romans 10:17). A careful study of God’s Word causes me to see repentance is an essential element of the required faith (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30). Repentance must be followed by appealing to God to clean one’s conscience in baptism (1 Peter 3:21).
Faithfulness is also required of Christians. Their faithfulness will compel them to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2; Mark 16:15). God’s people are humble servants, planting and watering while waiting for God to give the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:5-7). Those who fail to warn others will be punished (Ezekiel 33:7-9). So, Paul told the Ephesian elders, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:26-27 NKJV).
The faithful will be rewarded. Those who have been entrusted with things belonging to another are required to be faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). The five-talent man and the two-talent man, both of whom had gone out and gotten more for their master, heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21, 23). The Christians in Smyrna were about to suffer terribly, but the Lord assured them, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
So, it is important for me to check to see if I am faithful. The Lord requires it of those outside and inside Christ. He also promises to reward the faithful.
Have You Been with Jesus?
Robert Johnson
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13 NKJV). It is undeniable that being in the presence of Jesus, observing His ministry, hearing Him teach, how He interacted with people, both believers and nonbelievers of Him as the Messiah, had made an indelible impression on the apostles. They believed Him to be the Son of God during His ministry (Matthew 16:16), but it was the resurrection that cemented their faith in Him. How life changing was it to them, having been with Jesus? The religious authorities threatened them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). Before the resurrection, those words would probably have struck fear in their hearts. Now, however, they responded, “…Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). From great fear to great faith was what being with Jesus can do.
In our era, the name of Jesus is commonplace, and few realize and understand what it means for Him to be the Son of God. It should be life altering. He is the firstborn from the dead, our promise that we too will rise one day and have eternal life in Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-21). It can only happen for us if we have been with Jesus. Of course, we can’t do that literally or bodily as the apostles did. Yet, through His Word, we can come to know Him, walk with Him, live for Him and have His assurance He is with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). When we spend time with Him in Scripture, He still speaks to us. He is able to encourage us, warn us, help us and direct our paths.
Spending time with Him through the Word, we learn about commitment, as He pointed out if we aren’t willing to put Him first, we cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:26). We can know the depth of His love in His death for us, and that we can show it alive in us if we keep His commandments (John 14:15). Like Peter, we can know, no matter how far we fall, He’s there to lift us up and take us back again (John 21:15-22). We can call God our Father and speak to Him in prayer, as Jesus did, as in Christ we are His children (1 John 3:1). Being with Jesus, we know there is nothing in life that can cause God to stop loving us, to take us out of the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39). Today, we walk by faith, not by sight, but someday faith will be sight, and we will be in our Lord’s presence forever (Revelation 22:4).
When people hear us talk and see our conduct, can they honestly say we have been with Jesus? Do they see boldness in our lives in Christ? Can they hear Him in our speech? Do we look at death with the same courage He did, living today so whenever that event comes or His return occurs, we have confidence of Heaven? Is Christ our life (Colossians 3:4)? Even though we can’t literally walk with Him as the apostles did, we still walk with Him in us, influencing us, directing us and encouraging us along life’s way. The Word of God enables us to be all He would have us to be. We lack nothing as far as His teaching in Scripture is concerned, compared to being in the physical presence of the apostles. We lack nothing in His miracles, knowing what is presented in Scripture is true and provides the same evidence of His divinity and authority. As Jesus told Thomas, “…Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Do you take the time to be with Jesus? People will notice, and Jesus Christ in you will make a difference in you and in others. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3).