The Pain of Unfaithfulness

Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble. Proverbs 25:19

In Proverbs 25:19, reliance on the unfaithful is compared to the pain that manifests in the human body when parts of it are not functioning properly. Solomon wants his readers to understand the devastating consequences of unfaithfulness. Some injuries hurt more than others. A sprained ankle is very painful.

Sometimes, the pain can be delayed, at other times it is instant. The level of pain is not always a measurement of the extent of the damage. Some people hear a 'pop' in their ankle. This could suggest a torn ligament. Swelling of the injured area follows the twist.

Rapid swelling usually indicates severe damage has taken place. The bleeding of damaged tissue causes the swelling, and the discoloration is a result of gravity pulling the blood downwards. The swelling is often situated a small distance away from the actual damaged site.

Just like the pain that comes from a damaged foot, people who act unfaithful cause tremendous pain to others. Infidelity in a marriage covenant hurts the one whose trust was betrayed. Children are emotionally damaged when parents abdicate their responsibilities. Churches can split over one member’s dissension. Companies and their clients suffer when an employee is dishonest. Unfaithfulness always hurts other people.

Have you or somebody you know ever been hurt by someone who acted unfaithful? What did you learn from that experience?

Get An Increase By Making An Investment

So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' Luke 19:13 (Parable of the Ten Minas)

God expects increase from His investment in people. The Parable of the Ten Minas teaches us about this truth. In this parable, the master gives his servants a certain amount of money with the expectation that they steward it wisely by putting the money to work.

This parable reminds us that there is a spiritual law called the law of investment. By use you possess and increase, and by disuse you decline and lose. The key to increase is investment. This applies to everything in life. Money will not earn interest unless it is invested. A muscle that goes unused will eventually atrophy. Parents can build a Godly legacy for generations when they chooses to invest in their children.

Jonathan Edwards is one of the greatest scholars America has ever produced. Before he was president of Princeton, he served as a pastor of a church. He was known to spend 12 hours a day in his study, plus pastor a church, plus father 11 children. When he had those children, he was praying and decided he wanted all of his children to know God and the purpose for which they were created. The Lord pressed upon him to spend one hour a day with his children.

His descendants include:

300 Pastors, 120 became professors at universities, 110 of his ancestors became attorneys, 60 were prominent authors, 30 were judges, 14 served as presidents at universities and colleges, 3 served in congress and 1 became vice president of the U.S.

How did it happen? It happened because Jonathan Edwards made an investment into his children.

How are you investing what God has given to you? Are you getting increase from your investment?

God Owns It All

Our role as a steward on planet earth involves faithfully managing what God has entrusted to us. The key to good stewardship is remembering that God owns it all. All the resources and abilities we possess are within our control only temporarily.

As the Bible says, And [Job] said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21).

This is one rule with no exceptions. Your hearse will not be pulling a U-Haul. Someone asked John D. Rockefeller's accountant if he knew exactly how much Mr. Rockefeller had left when he died. The accountant replied, "Certainly, to the penny. He left everything."

God has a general purpose for all believers, such as bringing glory to Him and sharing the good news of God's salvation through Jesus Christ. Each believer also has specific purposes for life unique to his gifts, talents, contacts, and opportunities. As we prayerfully discern our gifts and opportunities, God begins to reveal to us where to spend our efforts, time, emotional energy, and money on those areas. Then, of course, we must choose to obey what He has revealed to us.

Are you faithfully stewarding what God has entrusted to you?

Faithfulness: A Key to Living in God's Favor

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1

There are two people in the Bible who possess good names for all of eternity, and lived in God’s favor while serving Him on earth. God did many signs, miracles and wonders through both of these men. Their names are Moses and Jesus, and faithfulness was a cornerstone of their character and ministry according to Hebrews 3:1-2. It says, “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house.”

Scripture is loaded with benefits promised to those who remain faithful to the Lord. The Lord preserves faithful people (Psalm 31:23). The Lord will not forsake His faithful ones (Psalm 37:28). The Lord guards the lives of his faithful ones, and delivers them from the hand of the wicked (Psalm 97:10). Finally, those who faithfully abide in Jesus, live in His love and serve Him well, are brought into a greater intimate friendship with our Lord (John 15:14-15).

Can you identify a time when you were a recipient of God’s favor?

Faithfulness: A Requirement for Godly Service

Apostle Paul is a man who became a powerful disciple of Jesus Christ. As a disciple of Jesus, Apostle Paul was faithful. 1 Timothy 1:12 Apostle Paul writes, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.”

Apostle Paul also understood the importance of obeying the Lord’s command to make disciples, and invested his life into his spiritual son Timothy. Why did he choose Timothy to carry on his mission of spreading the gospel of Christ after his death? We find the answer in Philippians 2:19-21. It says, “19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."

In the last letter of his life, facing certain death in prison, Apostle Paul reminds Timothy of the importance of making disciples. He instructed Timothy to find men who possessed a certain character trait. Can you guess which one Apostle Paul emphasized in 2 Timothy 2:2? It says, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable (faithful) men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

Faithfulness is a requirement for Godly service!

Would you consider yourself someone who has walked faithfully with the Lord as a Christ-follower?

Do The Right Thing!

My senior year in college, while playing basketball at Florida State University, I got into an interesting and insightful conversation with one of my teammates Byron Wells while sitting on the bench during our game against the North Carolina Tarheels. At the time of the conversation, we were winning by about twenty points over the Tarheels. I initiated the conversation by commenting on how we were going to blow out our opponent. Byron, quickly rebuked me, and then declared that the Tarheels would narrow the score.

Since we were dominating the game, I told him there was no way they would make a comeback. I then asked him what made him so confident about his prediction. He communicated to me that his certainty was based upon the Tarheels ability to consistently execute their offensive system no matter what the scoreboard indicated. Even though the Tarheels were not achieving their desired results on offense, they kept executing and doing the right things.

Byron Wells was a prophet that night. North Carolina did make a major comeback and almost ended up winning the game. Even when their shots were not going in the basket, the well-coached Tarheels continued to do the right things on the basketball court, ensuring that they would always be in the game.

Galatians 6:9-10 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Christ-followers should be the most consistent and stable people on the planet. We should always do the right things no matter what circumstances we face. A key to positioning yourself for victory is proper execution. In other words, we should do the right thing every time. As we continue to do what is right, we are guaranteed to gain the victory over our adversary. We will reap a harvest if we keep doing good deeds and don’t give up.

Are you doing the right thing?

Focus

During Pop Warner football practice, while talking to our players at our first water break, I noticed that very few of them were paying attention. Some were watching the cheerleaders practice. Some were looking at the birds in the trees. And, some were just staring off into outer space. Consequently, when it came time to perform their conditioning drills, most of the players did not execute them properly.

Frustrated by their effort, I made a commitment to rebuke them if they did not pay attention to the coaches during their second water break. Once again, as the coach began to speak to the team while they guzzled water, most of the players began to daze off. This time I quickly stepped in and reminded them of the importance of listening to and focusing on the coach while he speaks. Their next session of conditioning drills went much better because this time they focused on the coach while he was giving instructions.

During his presidential campaign, Governor Mike Huckabee told a story to illustrate a point on the importance of staying focused on the right responsibilities. The story was about his assistant who worked for him while he was governor of Arkansas. He described how people would frequently assume that his assistant had a difficult job working for a governor. She would quickly correct them by telling them her job was quite easy. Shocked by her response, most people would then ask, “How so?” Then, she would tell them her job was easy because all she had to do was please one person—the governor.

Hebrews 12:2-3 says, “2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

One of the keys to positioning yourself for victory is staying focused on the right things. An athlete must focus on the coach’s instruction, an assistant must focus on the agenda of her boss, and a Christ-follower must stay focused on Jesus.

Are you focused on the right things?