Faithful

I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 HCSB

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. Thomas Chisholm*

No matter what you are going through, God is faithful. Even when your best friends and your family members turn away from you, He is still there.

Even when you do not sense His presence in your life, He is faithful. People change. Their thoughts and purposes blow here and there with the changing of the wind. But Jesus is not like that. He is constantly faithful.

Husbands and wives sometimes stop loving each other. But God is Love. And He will never stop loving you.

People can be untrustworthy. Even the best person, sooner or later, will be unable or unwilling to keep all of his promises. But God is always faithful. What He promises to do He will do.

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Lord, Your faithfulness is certain.

*Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Waiting

Wait for the Lord; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Psalm 27:4 HCSB

Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. Adelaide A. Pollard*

There I stood, in line at the DMV, waiting. I rolled my eyes as the line inched slowly forward. I texted dozens of people, read two chapters in a book, and counted all of the ceiling tiles in the building. Finally, it was my turn. I stepped up from behind the yellow line to the counter where I presented the necessary documents and payment with a smile.

“Everything seems to be in order,” said the clerk. Please take a number, have a seat, and wait until they call your name.”

Do you ever get tired of waiting? I do. I think it’s because I usually see the waiting as a time of inactivity instead of as a time of opportunity. How would my life be different if instead of complaining, I used my time of waiting to celebrate and worship the Lord? How much closer to Him would I be today if I had done so?

Lord, in times of waiting, remind me to worship You.

*Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Situations

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. Hebrews 4:15-16 HCSB

“What seems to be the problem today?” asked the Emergency Room nurse impatiently.

I couldn’t answer. Kathy, my wife, tightened her lips and slowly said, “Miscarriage.”

The nurse directed us to the waiting room where I began filling out the paperwork. After a few minutes, I noticed that Kathy was nodding her head and moving her lips through her tears as she watched a nearby television. I turned and noticed that it featured an African American choir swaying back and forth singing Lord, You are good and Your mercy endureth forever. There, in the midst of her pain, Kathy was in the presence of the Lord.

Lord, we know that You understand the situations of our lives and that You understand exactly how we feel about them. Help us to worship You even when we don’t understand what is happening around us.

A Wonderful Life

Wait for the Lord; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Psalm 27:14 HCSB

I love the old movie It’s A Wonderful Life. George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, waits throughout the entire movie to be able to leave his hometown of Bedford Falls. Once, he even tells his father that he feels that if doesn’t get away he’s going to burst. However, through a series of circumstances, George isn’t able to leave the town. He discovers in the end, however, that the work he did while waiting to leave was extremely valuable to himself, his family, and the entire town.

There have been many times in my life and ministry when I’ve felt like George Bailey. I’ve watched others go here and there and it all looks so wonderful from the spot where I’m waiting. In those moments, I sit and wonder, “Why can’t that be me?”

Fortunately, the Lord has His ways of pulling me away from my own personal pity party and helping me to realize that He has personally positioned me to be where I am to fulfill His purposes. My only appropriate response to Him is worship.

Lord, help me to worship You while I’m waiting.

Smooch

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us! Romans 5:8 HCSB

It was in the back corner of a small town skating rink that I experienced my first kiss. My hands held tightly to the rail as my lips moved ever closer to hers. After what seemed like an eternity, she took charge and finally sealed the deal by laying one on me.

On the way home that evening, one of my friends said, “I saw you kissing that girl in the corner. I guess you’re in love with her, huh?”

I thought about it for a moment and answered, “No, I don’t think so, but I liked it.”

Years later, I stood in my college chapel with tears streaming down my face and kissed my wife in front of God and everybody.

At the wedding reception, one of my college buddies showed up and said, “Man, you two sure do look like you’re in love!”

Without hesitation, I replied, “Without a doubt, man. Without a single doubt!”

So, what’s the difference? Where does the love come from? Love has been described in many ways, but is really only defined in and through our commitments.

Jesus showed His love and ultimate commitment to us when He died for us on a cross while we were still sinners. If He did this for us, we should be willing to demonstrate our love for Him by being totally committed to Him.

Guarding and Waiting

Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. Proverbs 4:23 HCSB

How much of human life is lost in waiting. Ralph Waldo Emerson*

It’s happened time and again. A man with a pure heart prays to the Lord for direction in life or career or ministry and sits down to wait. At first, he is full of faith and has a spirit of perseverance that is contagious. However, time passes, as it always does, and it seems that God has not spoken, at all. The stuff of this world becomes extremely interesting and waiting on the Lord and His purposes ceases to be appealing. One morning, instead of praying, he wonders, “Maybe it’s not so bad to try out what the world has to offer. It can’t hurt, can it? I mean, if God hasn’t spoken yet, He’s probably not going to speak today.” So, he dabbles in alcoholism, pornography, gossip, vicious thoughts, gambling and profanity, just to pass the time. Suddenly, the pure heart ready to serve the Lord is no longer pure and the determination to serve the Lord has vanished.

Lord, help us to guard our hearts as we wait on You.

*thinkexist.com