Walking Faithfully
Pastor Matt Judd's letter in the November 2023 Newsletter
Do you remember as a child being asked to make a promise? But if you made that promise with your “fingers crossed” then it didn’t mean you had to keep it - as if the crossing of fingers changed the whole essence of the commitment that you had just made?
"David served God's purpose in his own generation, then he died and was
buried with his ancestors." Acts 13:36 (CEB)
buried with his ancestors." Acts 13:36 (CEB)
Faithfulness is defined succinctly as “remaining loyal and steadfast.” But sometimes it feels like society believes that the whole idea is nonsense and even exults in failures of faithfulness. We have websites that encourage adultery and unfaithfulness which seems to be the expectation instead of the exception, in all areas of life. In many ways, we don’t expect anyone; clergy, politicians, neighbors, or even family, to stay faithful to what they promised.
Unfaithfulness is a lot like neighborhood decay. When one person doesn’t keep up their property or pick up litter, that seems to become an excuse for others to do the same and soon the whole block has gone downhill. But if unfaithfulness works like that, then why can’t examples of faithfulness function in the same manner?
Unfaithfulness is a lot like neighborhood decay. When one person doesn’t keep up their property or pick up litter, that seems to become an excuse for others to do the same and soon the whole block has gone downhill. But if unfaithfulness works like that, then why can’t examples of faithfulness function in the same manner?
I think it can and does, but this requires we who know and love a faithful God to live that out in our world. I deeply believe that as our world gets more broken, there is a simultaneous deepening hunger for wholeness. I believe this must begin in the church community before it can spread out into the larger society.
A quick search will reveal that one of the key descriptions of the saints in both Old and New Testaments is that they, “walked faithfully with God,” including Enoch (Gen. 5:24), Noah (Gen. 6:9), Abraham (Gen. 17:1), and Moses (Num. 12:7). I love that imagery because it speaks of both a relationship and a journey. If you are walking with someone, then you are most often side-by-side, which is a powerful reminder of relationship. If you are walking, that assumes you are headed somewhere – a journey. What better place to learn and live faithfulness than to be on a journey with Jesus each day? It is in walking with Jesus that we learn what faithfulness is all about. Jesus was faithful in serving God, in his prayer and worship life (being in the synagogue), and ultimately in giving Himself for us on the cross. We may not do it perfectly, but we can learn what discipleship is all about by letting the Holy Spirit continue to mold us to be like Jesus.
May it be said of you today and every day and on your last day, that you walked faithfully with God. That would be a fitting legacy for anyone who calls Jesus his or her Lord and Savior.
A quick search will reveal that one of the key descriptions of the saints in both Old and New Testaments is that they, “walked faithfully with God,” including Enoch (Gen. 5:24), Noah (Gen. 6:9), Abraham (Gen. 17:1), and Moses (Num. 12:7). I love that imagery because it speaks of both a relationship and a journey. If you are walking with someone, then you are most often side-by-side, which is a powerful reminder of relationship. If you are walking, that assumes you are headed somewhere – a journey. What better place to learn and live faithfulness than to be on a journey with Jesus each day? It is in walking with Jesus that we learn what faithfulness is all about. Jesus was faithful in serving God, in his prayer and worship life (being in the synagogue), and ultimately in giving Himself for us on the cross. We may not do it perfectly, but we can learn what discipleship is all about by letting the Holy Spirit continue to mold us to be like Jesus.
May it be said of you today and every day and on your last day, that you walked faithfully with God. That would be a fitting legacy for anyone who calls Jesus his or her Lord and Savior.
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