TEST OF FAITHFULNESS

“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God ...” Romans 8:28

It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God Sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith — the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.

Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we have to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.

The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part, and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.

Taken from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. copyright 1935 by Dodd Mead & Co., renewed copyright 1963 by Oswald Chambers Publications Assn., Ltd., and is used by permission of Discovery House Publishers, Box 3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. All rights reserved

What matter if the clouds hang low? What matter if the bleak winds blow?

What matter if I may not know The reason why these things are so?

God Reigns! I will be true. No matter if my bark is frail,

In Jesus’ Name I breast the gale, No matter if all else shall fail,

My anchor holds within the veil. God Reigns! I will be true.