DAILY DEVOTIONAL – November 12, 2020
“Tried and True”
Prayer: Our God and Father, we worship and praise You because You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. As Your Word tells us in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind.” Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness to us, even as You hung on the cross for our sin. Amen.
Scripture: James 5:11-12
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
Devotional – “Tried and True”
It’s been said that, “We should be so dependable, that if you say you are going to be somewhere and don’t show up, people send flowers.” I’m not sure where the saying originally came from, but it certainly is one we should take to heart.
Growing up with a Major in the Marine Corps for a father and a high school principal for a mother, it has been engrained in me that to be on time is to be late and to be 15 minutes early is to be on time. I may not have been so convinced of this as a young man, but I certainly am now. I may not always be perfect at being dependable, but there is no arguing the fact that dependability is not only respectful to others, but it is also an important and Biblical character trait and principle we should aspire to have and maintain.
Luke 16:10 – “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
Proverbs 25:13 – “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest, is a faithful messenger to those who send him.”
Numbers 30:2 – “ If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”
Why is it so important that, especially as Christians, we prove to be dependable and reliable people who hold to their word and follow through with what they promise? Because our dependability and reliability is a witness and testimony to the faithfulness of God. Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that we have to be flawless and without mistakes or forgetfulness. That is an impossibility for anyone. However, it is not hard for others to see and detect the true character and intentions of a person despite their mishaps and mistakes. When people see that we genuinely care about the reliability of our word, even when we have to apologize because we fail, we earn respect and more importantly, we earn the right to be heard when we want to speak of our faith in Christ. People are always more willing to listen to those who they know are genuine and mean what they say, even when they don’t necessarily agree with what they have to say.
It’s not hard to see that we live in a society and culture that is angry and disenfranchised by the deceitfulness of politics and politicians on all sides. The world is desperate for dependability and reliability. As Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” When we as Christians prove to be honest, reliable and dependable, we strike a chord in the hearts and minds of even those who oppose us. At the very least, we ensure that our character can never be used against us or prove to be a stumbling block to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we hope to make.
While we absolutely should always strive to prove dependable and reliable and true to our word, the truth is we will fail; and people know this and will see it. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all as long as the focus of our efforts is to faithfully proclaim Christ instead of ourselves, and we strive to be dependable even in our apologies when we fail so that the never-failing mercies and forgiveness Christ earned for us on the cross shines ever brighter than our best efforts and imperfect character.
Friends, the Good News we have to share is that God not only claims to be perfectly faithful to His Word and reliable in His grace but has absolutely proven to be eternally dependable. As God has promised since the Garden of Eden, and as the prophets have foretold for thousands of years before the Christ-child was born, God did send His Messiah and Savior who has come to redeem us to God by paying for our sins and dying our death and rising again from the dead. Jesus told his disciples many times during His ministry and teaching to them that, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Just as Christ promised, that is exactly what happened. That same Lord Jesus also promised in John 14:1-3, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
As we strive to live upright and dependable lives, even as sinful people, we can do so confidently as we rely fully on God’s faithfulness and the absolute reliability of His mercy and protection.
2 Thessalonians 3:3, “The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”
Psalm 121:3, “The Lord will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.”
2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful.”
May you rest secure in the ever-faithful love of God in Jesus Christ my friends, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
