A Tool Of Faithfulness
I'm a huge romantic, and I love going out on dates with my husband, Jeff. On our date nights, he's always ready before I am. He blames it on my singing-in-the-shower, and dancing-in-the-mirror-while-getting-ready, but the true culprit lies within my closet!
Now, I don't know about you and your closet, but mine is a world on its own!
Time and time again, I sift through my wardrobe, trying to choose a look that fits the location, the occasion, the weather, and most importantly, my mood.
"Should I wear a skirt? Do these jeans go with that top? What color are you wearing, babe? We should wear one of our matching outfits! Ugh - I guess this button-down shirt will do!"
I must admit, there have been times that I've rushed to get ready, just to realize that I've either missed a button hole entirely, or fastened each one to the bottom of the shirt -- just to realize at the end they're completely misaligned down my shirt. As if Jeff & the clock weren't rushing me enough, I had to undo all the work I did, just to re-do it properly.
A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G...
What's truly annoying is being unaligned with God by being committed to your earthly plans in lieu of what God has, and seeing those plans fall apart in the end! As a wife, a career woman, an entrepreneur, and a mommy of three young children, I know a thing or two about 'planning ahead' AND about those plans falling apart. I've learned the powerful lesson of aligning my plans and my daily walk with God's Word through faithfulness...
For Christians, the verse 'faith, without works, is dead' comes from the book of James and is fairly common. It's recited with other famous scriptures, like John 3:16, and is concise enough to memorize, much like "Jesus Wept". However, the study behind faith (how it's obtained, what it's capable of doing, and how to implement it) isn't as simple.
Having 'faith' and 'walking in faithfulness' are two different things -- it's a matter of theory vs application. Faith without works, or without ACTION, is inoperative and ineffective. Once again, it's a matter of application. What do you think of when you read the word 'faithfulness'? Are you thinking about a spouse staying loyal to their partner? Perhaps you're thinking of someone being dedicated to their goals? Maybe a memory of someone failing you just crossed your mind...
Whatever the case may be, we always grade someone's faithfulness with their probability of failing, versus the power it has through commitment and action.
'Faith' is defined as the evidence of things unseen. I like to define 'faithfulness' as the evidence of what someone is committed to. I'm not talking about arriving to work early every day, or hitting the gym every evening. I'm talking about aligning your everyday plans, your goals, your dreams, and your actions to what God expects, requires, and deserves.
