1 Corinthians 15:57-58 “Thanks be to
God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my
beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
This week, Michael writes
that the word “steadfast” means to be firmly fixed in place; constant; firm;
resolute; not fickle or wavering. As Christians, everything we do to nourish
our souls in the word will help us to stand steadfast. Immovable is
unyielding. It means to never give up since the Lord God is our strength and our
sufficiency. Testing proves the faithfulness of our faith in Him. Why are
we always to abound in the work of the Lord? It's because in the Lord, our
labor is not in vain. Otherwise, as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, everything is meaningless vanity of vanities. That
which is done in vain is empty; worthless; having no substance, value or
importance. It’s fruitless; ineffectual; "dust in the wind" and will
come to naught. As steadfast Christians, we may not see the harvest, but
we can know that God is faithful to bring forth the harvest. Our reward is in Him
and not in our own vain glory. The motivation is not because of who we are,
but because of whose we are.
When we're down and out
because of the affairs of this world, we will find out who are our true
friends. Steadfast friends are not deterred by the affairs of this world. They
stand by our side despite our failures and shortcomings. The opposite of a steadfast
friend is one who's here today and gone tomorrow. They have no commitment
to stand firm. Many pastors feel insecure, inadequate, lonely and
fearful. When you call a man "a man or woman of God," most will
look away. When you ask them why, they'll say, "I feel
unworthy." However, our strength is not in our own confidence. No one
is worth in the eyes of God. In Greek the phrase "man or woman of
God" is the genitive of possession. A man or woman of God is God's man or
woman. It's not who we are but whose we are.
Steadfastness is firmness of
mind or purpose; a fixedness in principle; constancy; resolution; as the steadfastness
of faith. Steadfastness is to stake our lives on faith that God will do what he
says he will do. Peter failed the test of steadfastness. Even though he
had raw courage and the audacity to stand for his master, he needed reproof to
understand that in his own strength he was insufficient.
Jeremiah 9:23-24: "Thus says the LORD, Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the
rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glories glory in this,
that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness,
judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says
the LORD.”
Let’s continue Michael’s
message on Christian Steadfastness in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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