The Blessings of Faithfulness

"Today's Devotion" For May 26, 2006

Read: Psalm 91; John 12:23-26

THE BLESSINGS OF FAITHFULNESS

"He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." (Psalm 91:15, 16)

Loyalty is a huge commodity in the political and business worlds. So often we hear that a politician, such as the President, values loyalty and rewards it for those who work with him. We've heard about the loyalty of executives to the CEO of a corporation, a loyalty that may have been rewarded with great benefits and compensation bonuses. No doubt most would agree that loyalty to one's organization and its leadership is paramount for the effective and efficient operation of the government and a corporation. And, for the most part, such loyalty is not misplaced.

At the same time, there is no doubt that loyalty is often misplaced and detrimental to one's personal good and the common good. Some would say that's true in the case of Presidential appointments to Cabinet and other appointed positions in the federal government. Favoritism and cronyism, based on one's loyalty and faithfulness to the political party of a President, a powerful member of Congress, a governor of a state, or powerful members of a state legislature has caused many a coverup of wrongdoing and breakdowns in honest and effective government. The same can be said to be true of corporate loyalty and faithfulness where stockholders have seen companies become insolvent while the executives got rich and where consumers have paid premium prices for inferior goods and services.

In the popular mind these days, it would seem that the whole idea of loyalty and faithfulness brings up negative thoughts and feelings. Because loyalty and faithfulness to a group, a person, or a cause is ideally based upon the belief that such entities are truly honest and practice integrity in their business and dealings with others, betraying that loyalty and faithfulness can cause devastating results in the lives of the "faithful." In many ways the betrayal of people's trust has led to a very cynical and contentious social order.

Yet, by God's grace, loyalty and faithfulness are not a lost cause for His people. Those who trust in God have their faithfulness rewarded. We can be certain that in Jesus Christ all of our sins are forgiven. In Him we have the sure hope of eternal life with God in heaven. We can faithfully share His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ with others, certain that He will keep His promise to hear all who call upon Him and forgive all their sins through faith in Christ Jesus. Living in His promises, loving others in Jesus' name, and serving God with our hearts, our lives, and our voices as witnesses to His love for all the world in Christ brings God's assurance of "long life" and certainty of His "salvation" (Ps. 91:16).

Our faithfulness and loyalty to our God and Father through faith in Jesus Christ brings the blessings of faithfulness into each of our lives. We live forgiven of our sins, we live certain that everything we need for life and living is God's sure and certain gift to us, we live with the assurance that God will hear and answer our prayers according to His good and gracious will, and we live with the absolute assurance that our Lord is with us always, even to the end of the world. Above all, as St. Paul writes, we can be certain that in our faithfulness we are blessed with the certainty that nothing can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:39). The blessings of faithfulness are the blessings of "daily bread" our Lord promises in the Lord's Prayer and sustain us each day of our lives until we see Jesus in heaven.

Prayer: Father, I know I've neither earned nor deserved Your love for me, but, because You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, You have blessed me with Your presence, forgiven me of my sins in Jesus, and have called into the marvelous light of Your grace to experience, fully, the blessings of faithfulness - Yours to me and mine to You. Forgive me for so often doubting Your love for me, for ignoring Your Word and doing things my way, and for forgetting that You provide me with everything I need to "support this body and life. Strengthen my faith and trust in You, my faithfulness to Your Word and promises that I may live with the certainty "that You defend me against all evil, guard and protect me from every kind of danger." Keep me faithful to You because of Your love and faithfulness to me so that I may be a loving and living witness to others of Your gift of salvation and the forgiveness of sins in Christ, and the sure and certain hope of heaven because of His suffering, death, and resurrection. In His precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.