Simply—BE FAITHFUL.   1 Corinthians 15.58

Good Day~

Most people have some modicum of faith; but how many of those same people are faithful in their faith?  Paul concludes this chapter with this amazing verse: Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

In short, when Paul tells us to ‘be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,’ he is saying, ‘be faithful.’  Be loyal.  Constant. 

Be faithful—the ‘be’ part is a verb

The ‘be’ part implies action on our part.

It will take action to be faithful in this life.

See, here’s the thing—we are easily distracted, easily pulled away, though we would say we would surely die for God if we were asked to! 

This chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians has given us plenty of reason to choose faith in Christ—Paul uses eyewitness testimony to back up the claims of the gospel that Jesus was crucified, fulfilling Old Testament Scripture; Jesus was buried, and he rose from the grave.  Death could not hold or defeat the Son of God.  The stone had been rolled away, an impossibility by one man incidentally; the graveclothes neatly folded . . . and then, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people in his resurrected body.  Okay!  I believe!  I have the faith in the evidence that Jesus is who he said he was.  Interestingly enough, that ‘faith’ element should be the hardest part, believing in what we haven’t seen.  Yet, many have faith, at some point, and then they just fall away. 

I am a really good starter, but I rarely finish things.  I come out of the shoot like a racehorse but then it doesn’t take long for other things to distract me, and dilute my focus.  I guess I’m not alone because I have been told by many folks that they ‘used to believe’ in Christ, ‘used to be a Christian’, heck, by a pretty girl last week, ‘used to go to Bible college’, though now she is only going to the college of Vodka, sleeping in her car.

‘Be steadfast, immovable…’  Be faithful.  In verse one of this chapter, Paul said simply, ‘stand firm’--  to which I say, ‘How, Paul?  How do weak human beings remain faithful?’ And then this came to mind--Psalm 1, verses 1 through 3:

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

‘Want to be faithful?  First, David lets you know choose your company wisely; otherwise, they will pull you down, and pull you away.  How could it be any other way, really?  For the one who thinks ‘we only go around once, so better enjoy it’, life is fleeting and lacks significance compared to he who has one foot on terra firma and one foot in Heaven, knowing Heaven is his real home, and eternity with God awaits.  Besides, as Paul said, “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” (verse 33 of 1 Cor. 15)  

Second, meditate on the Word as though it were your only sustenance.  It will make and keep you strong; take it in, and you will be like a tree whose roots go down very deep, drawing water into its very core; through it, you become what Paul saidàimmovable.  Through it, you will prosper.  Get the Word through your own reading, studying, and get it when you ‘remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy’, by hearing inspired teaching from the Word of the Lord on the Lord’s Day.

Finally, ‘be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.’  Get in the game.  Serve the Lord by serving somewhere; it keeps you humble, and lowers the likelihood that you will be given to hypocrisy. 

Simply…be faithful, Friend.

Christine