It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. – 1 Corinthians 4:2
The choir had sung a stirring anthem, and its theme stuck with me for days. It stated that after we have stepped into eternity, the final assessment of our lives will be revealed in the things we leave behind, and we want to be found faithful. “Lord,” I prayed, “I want to be found faithful. When I pass from this earth, I don’t want any hidden things of dishonesty to come to light, casting a shadow over what You have done in my life. How can I accomplish this?”
This thought had never come to me before, and I pondered it for days. How can we be sure that we have done everything we could for the sake of the Gospel? How can we know we held nothing back? Then one day when I was praying, the answer came. It was so simple: just be faithful! How obvious it seemed. If we are obedient to God’s Word and consistently follow His instructions, He will let us know if anything in our lives needs to change. And if we heed His correction, there will be no hidden, shadowy things to find later on.
From time to time, opportunities come that seem to hold a promise of personal gratification or fulfillment. It may be a new hobby, group of friends, career opportunity, or any number of things. Often there is no problem with those choices, but sometimes it seems as if a shadow is hanging over the attraction. It is like a warning: “Do not go that way.” We may not understand immediately, but after we have honestly examined the situation, we will probably see that it is not in line with God’s will for our lives—perhaps it could easily lead us astray, or distract from more important activities. This is God’s way of helping us be faithful to Him. He knows the end of our decisions, and He leads us to make the right ones.
The Lord faithfully builds an invisible barrier to keep us on the right path. What a blessing it is to know that God is interested in showing us how to be faithful to Him. He knows how to get our attention, and how to help us understand what He is telling us. May we listen and be faithful to His promptings.
Thank You, Lord, for caring what happens to me. Thank You for walking beside me and guiding me, even when I do not understand. Help me to faithfully follow You. Amen.