Faithfulness – Not a common word we use these days

@AaronBrockett, Lead Pastor, at Traders Point Christian Church is presently teaching through the book of Hebrews. This weekend’s message was from chapter 3 with the themes of “faithfulness” and” hardening of your heart”.

One the points Aaron makes is “how often do you hear the word faithfulness used today?” It’s commonly heard in the context of a marriage with a man and woman being faithful to one another. However, if you stop and think about it, it’s not a word commonly used. Aaron points out that if you look at the Bible, you’ll see that it’s a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and is most commonly referenced in relation to God’s faithfulness to us versus our faithfulness. So, why does such an uncommon word grab my attention and become blog worthy today? Well, as always, there is a story.

Yesterday, I was doing some manual labor around the house cleaning the hot tub and preparing outside for a gathering of folks in the evening. Throughout the day, I was reflecting on the joy of work and, more specifically, physical labor. While it’s another topic, we encourage people daily to see their work as worship and there is just something special sometimes about physical labor. As much as I did enjoy it, it has come with a cost as there are blisters on my hands today and my body is a bit sore. As a result, I found myself going back into the blog archives and re-reading, “What’s in your hand?”

In this blog, I briefly talk about Moses staff representing his “Identity, Influence, and Income”. The stories are a testimony of God’s “faithfulness” when we lay these things down at the foot of the Cross. It was written as a reminder of God’s faithfulness in my own personal life as I’d also laid down my “identity, influence, and income” for Christ and He has continually proved His “faithfulness”.

Adding to this story, a few weeks ago, I took a spiritual gifts assessment. In addition to my typical gifts of administration and wisdom, I saw “faith” appear in my top three. The author writes: “with faith, the Holy Spirit has gifted you with an ability to encourage and build up the church in her confidence in God – trust God in all things and expect God to move”. Initially, I thought this assessment was in error. Like I do on many occasions, I sought the Godly counsel of my wife and quickly acknowledged that this is one of my gifts. While I sometimes lose track of it, there generally isn’t a day that goes by that I haven’t used this gift in my relationships.

Ok, I know, I am likely starting to lose some of you; so, let me sum this up a bit and close. Aaron also states: “Faithfulness is only required when things get tough, uncomfortable, and no longer easy.” And, we have a natural tendency in these times to “harden our hearts” rather than remain “faithful”. Aaron challenged us to earnestly assess our hearts and see if they are becoming hardened. I encourage you to access his message online to hear more and read through the notes.

Aaron’s message and today’s post are a reminder to me that anytime we lay down our “identity, influence, and income” for Christ, there will most definitely be times “when things get tough, uncomfortable, and no longer easy”. And, in these times, we must “trust God in all things and expect God to move.” Thanks @AaronBrockett for the reminder and encouragement!

Where are you being faithful, trusting God, and expecting Him to move? If we have or can encourage you in your confidence in The Lord, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13 NIV)