Something we have been
working through with in the body of Christ is the difficulty for people to
commit to something and to continue in it no matter what comes. We have found people will walk into
something believing God has said it, and yet six months down the track, or when
difficulty comes, challenges come, offence comes, it doesn't look as they
expected, etc. that commitment
and belief that God spoke six months earlier is no longer there and we see
people walk out of those commitments they once made believing God had spoken.
So does that mean people
didn't seek the Lord in the first place?
Did they hear
incorrectly?
So does that mean people
sought the Lord but now he is saying something different?
So does that mean I have
the right to do whatever I like based on how it feels at the time?
If it feels good then I
will do it type thing, but if it doesn't then I am gone?
This has been a real
struggle for me in leadership as I have found this on a regular basis that
people come into the ministry believing this is where God wants them and then
they walk out the door when trials and challenges come their way. If I did this in my marriage I would no
longer be married. Every
relationship is challenged, every call of God is tested.
As I have been pondering
this and the blog I wrote near the end of last year, I find the word is not
commitment but rather the word should be, "faithfulness".
Faithfulness as
defined in the Nelsons Bible dictionary as - dependability, loyalty and
stability as it describes God in His relationship to human believers.
Faithfulness as defined
by 'google' - the quality of being
faithful; fidelity. Synonyms - loyalty, constancy, devotion,
trueness, true-heartness, dedication, commitment, allegiance, adherence.
Faithfulness is a fruit
of the spirit that the Lord wants to grow in our lives.
Gal
5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self
control."
When Jim and I were
called overseas to mission work, there was a phrase that rang in our ears from
people as they prepared us for cross cultural mission - "culture
shock".
Which means; the
feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly
subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.
Along with this phrase
came the expectation that within two years we would 'hit the wall'. Which
meant like in marriage we would get over the 'honeymoon' phase and real life
would begin and it would be challenging.
This is often when our
'faithfulness' gets tested - when we are in 'culture shock'. Its easy to
be faithful when things are going well, but when our world views are being
challenged, when our culture is being changed, when our attitudes are needing
to shift, that is when we really find out where the fruit of faithfulness is in
our lives.
So when Jim and I
were told we would 'hit the wall' within two years we decided in our heart
right then and there that we would not, because that is not the spirit Christ
has given us. He says, we can do all things through Him who strengthens
us. He says we are called to be overcomers. He says don't
worry about tomorrow and that he would give us enough grace for each day. And
although yes we did face challenges and it was not easy at times, and we wanted
to come home and give it all away, we committed ourselves to being faithful to
the word of God, to what He had called us to that we knew that we knew this was
where God wanted us despite come what may. We decided to 'stand firm and
not let anything move us (1 Cor 12)' as was one of the words God had given us
before leaving for the mission field. We learnt what it was to rely on
God's strength and not our own as we cried out to him to uphold us in pain when
our only daughter at the age of 10 was in a different country away from us,
when challenges faced us that threatened our lives, when relationships were
being tested.
So I encourage you to let
'faithfulness' be a fruit in the spirit that is cultivated and grown in your life. To
pray to the Lord to help you be an overcomer in the situations you find
yourselves in and to cry out to him for the help that you need and not to look
to man but to look to the promises and the words that he has given you, that
hold you on course for what He has for you.
Matt 7:12 "In
everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is
the essence of the Law and the prophets. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate
and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.…"
