Tuesday was the last time I posted. Since then I have been to church Wednesday for the youth service, and last night for a special prayer service, which was completely awesome. God was there, and I was changed. But I did not do bible studies on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, rationalizing on Wed. and Fri. that hey, I’m going to be at church later anyway, that counts, right? I know better… if the Man Of The House said to himself, I don’t really need to talk to Laura, after all, I’ll be sleeping beside her in bed tonight – I’d be pretty mad. And truth to tell, I have rarely had days as unproductive as Wed-Fri of this week. It’s been a mess. No coincidence there.
When I opened E-sword this morning, George Morrison’s devotional sermon on fidelity was front and center. The verse was
His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.
(Mat 25:21 MKJV)
The parable of the servants who were given portions of their master’s money to invest, 2 out of 3 invested wisely, the third, who must have been a Democrat, buried it in the backyard. The lesson is to use what God gives you wisely, be faithful in the small things, and He will trust you with more. Morrison goes on to explain fidelity in more detail, and it’s certainly clear why the Marines, God bless them, have practically trademarked the phrase Semper Fi. Following are quotes from Morrison, emphasis mine:
Fidelity Can Be Anybody’s Virtue
There is nothing dazzling in fidelity. It is not at all a rare and splendid gift. It has no power to arrest the eyes, nor get itself chronicled in any newspaper. And it is singularly like the Lord, with His passion for undistinguished people, that He should crown a virtue such as that. Some of my readers never can be brilliant. They serve in the great army of the commonplace. But there is one thing within the compass of them all, and that is the steady practice of fidelity. And the inspiring thought is that our Lord should take a thing within the reach of everybody, and make it the criterion of character.
Fidelity Demands Courage
There is one man there who was not faithful. He got his talent and he buried it. And it is a master-touch of a profound psychology that in the end of the day, when the reckoning was taken, that man is made to say I was afraid. His infidelity was fear, and the Lord delights to hint at truth by negatives. There is a courage of the battle-field, which is often a very splendid thing. There is courage needed for every high adventure, whether it be in Africa or Everest. But perhaps the finest courage in the world (in the eyes of God, if not of men) is the quiet and steady courage of fidelity. To do things when you don’t feel like them, to keep on keeping on, to get to duty through headache and through heartache, to ply the drudgery when birds are calling—there are few things finer in the world. That is not a thing of the rare moment—it is carrying victory into the common day. It does not flash in the country of our dreams—it illuminates the dreary levels. And life is never a victorious business unless our common days are full of victories of which no one ever hears anything at all.
Christ Demonstrated the Courage of Fidelity
Did it take no courage to come down from heaven and become the tenant of a cottage? Did it take no courage to remain at Nazareth when His heart was burning in His breast? Did it take no courage to resist the devil, offering Him the kingdoms of the world, when the winning of these kingdoms was His passion? To scorn delights and live laborious days, to take the long, long trail that led to Calvary, to set His face steadfastly towards Jerusalem, where the Cross was waiting and the crown of thorns—never was finer courage in the world.
Fidelity Is Rewarded by Capacity
Another profound suggestion of our Lord is that fidelity is rewarded by capacity. “Thou has been faithful over few things, I will make thee ruler over many things.” The real reward is not the bigger task. It is the capacity to do the bigger task. Your will shall be strengthened by those daily victories which, after all, are the victories that count. True wealth is augmented personality, with corresponding increase of capacity, and the avenue of God to that is faithfulness.
Fidelity Is Associated with Joy
We shall not forget how our Lord associates fidelity with joy. “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Unfaithfulness moves towards the dark. Fidelity pitches its tent towards the sunrise. Be thou faithful, and when the task is over, and the morning breaks upon the farther shore, thou shalt enter into the joy of thy Lord.
I love, I absolutely love, how God has made faithfulness the criteria of true Christianity. Rich, poor, from Stephen Hawking to Down’s Syndrome kids, everyone has the capacity to be faithful. No excuses. And the more we practice it, the more we faithful we can be. I think of the verse, of the father who wanted his son to be delivered from demonic oppression:
Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. And immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.
(Mar 9:23-24 MKJV)
Just taking that baby step forward increases your capacity for the next step. There’s hope for me yet.
