Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Steadfastness – Part 1



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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