Title: The Blessings of the Faithful
Blessings of the Faithful
Text: 1 Timothy 5:15
“Do all these things with all your heart, and let your maturity be revealed to everyone.”
In 2004, the French Artists' Association awarded Frances Modernon the winner of "Best Painting of the Year". The awards ceremony was full of famous artists and critics. Finally, the host introduced Mr. Modernon, the main character. When Mr. Modernon stood at the pulpit, those who saw him for the first time were astonished, “Ah...!”. It turned out that Mr. Modernon had his wooden hands tied to his arms and painted with those wooden hands. However, his paintings were as excellent in artistry as the paintings of any ordinary person, and critics praised that the color composition was exquisite and the symbolism contained in the colors was excellent.
He turned to the audience and said, “Thank you. I've never once thought I didn't have a hand. As long as I breathe, I will continue to draw the beauty of life with this wooden hand. The world I see is beautiful. The world inside me is so beautiful. I never thought of despair. It is because I am always looking at the hope that lies beyond the beautiful side.” Then there was thunderous applause in the hall.
“Better is a poor man who walks in integrity than a foolish man with perverted lips” (Proverbs 19:1).
A person who used to work for an architectural firm received a request from the president to build a house for the last time shortly before his retirement. This person, who thought that he would quit this company and his job soon, did everything roughly. They did not use good materials and did not thoroughly supervise and construct them. When the house, which had just barely passed the construction inspection, was almost finished, the president came to this person and said,
"This house belongs to you. It's my present to commemorate your retirement."
“Slaves, obey your masters of the flesh in all things, not blindfolded, as pleasers, but in a sincere heart, in the fear of the Lord” (Colossians 3:22).
It is said that Kagawa, a Japanese Christian, had a habit of waking up in the middle of the night to pray to God.
There is a saying in his words, "If it weren't for this one hour of prayer for me, I wouldn't be the Kagawa I am today."
And he always had a habit of reading without letting go of his hand. One time, on the day of his graduation ceremony, he was sitting in his seat and reading a book, and the professor who saw him shook him and the book fell.
But Kagawa picked up the book that had fallen without any response and continued to read it. He is truly a sincere person.
Those who make plants with sincerity, God considers them beautiful.
“Trust in the Lord to do good; dwell in the earth and feed on his faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3).
The 19th century English writer Charles Kingsley wrote:
“When you wake up every morning, be grateful that you have a job to do, whether you like it or not. If you have a job to do and you do it to the best of your ability, you will never have a sense of self-control, hard work and satisfaction within you, lazy people. Many unknown virtues will be accumulated."
Work is a command from God. There are many verses in the Bible that urge us to work diligently. How faithful are you to your work? John Milton is said to have woken up at four in the morning every day to write better poetry. Be faithful to the task assigned to you. Whatever we do, if we do it “as to the Lord with all our heart” (Colossians 3:23), the Lord will, through our labor, provide for the needs of others as well as ourselves.
“He who walks in sincerity will be saved, but he who walks in earnest will soon fall” (Proverbs 28:18).
Joseph shows sincerity in his work even when he is unfairly thrown into prison. Joseph has been holding on to the dream God has given him since childhood and overcoming difficulties in life, but he did not neglect the small tasks he had to do today because of that vision. There are people who sometimes cry out for their vision and neglect the task given to them today. Such people's visions are likely to end in vain.
Because those who are not faithful in very little things will never be able to handle great things. Brother Lawrence, who is said to be a great star of Christian spirituality, was only a kitchen worker in a monastery near Paris. But everyone who met him changed and felt the presence of God. Someone who saw him washing dishes in a restaurant wrote about his daily life:
“When we see Brother Lawrence washing the dishes, we feel the solemnity and reverence of the priest preparing the sacrament. could see the presence of the Lord there."
Joseph also set an example in the work that was given to him in difficult circumstances. When you encounter unfair things, try to be sincere in the task given today. You must not leave the place of life God has given you because it is unfair. Even then, you still have to be sincere.
“Justice shall be his girdles, and faithfulness his girdle” (Isaiah 11:5).
Martha Berry, a rural school teacher in Georgia, USA, wrote a letter to the wealthy automobile king, Henry Ford. It was an earnest story that if you donate $1,000 to the school, you will be able to buy a good piano and educate children. But the answer contained only one dime, or ten cents. Mr. Berry did not feel insulted or despair when he saw the reply, but bought peanuts with those 10 cents and started farming peanuts.
Mr. Berry sent some of it to Mr. Ford each year, thanking him for even a small harvest. Five years have passed. I was finally able to raise the money I needed to buy a piano. It is said that Mr. Ford was moved by this and sent him $10,000, which is ten times the amount he had originally asked for.
This is a blessing for the faithful. Faith is the seed of life.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unshaken, and always devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
God allows us to bear fruit when we plant with faith and nurture with patience and sincerity. When you sow the seeds of faith with this kind of sincerity for a year, you will reap 30, 60, 100 times the fruit.
Today, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will live your life of faith and faithfulness in all things.
* Prayer: Lord, who showed us the example of patience and faith, help us to win with sincerity and faith just as you have won. May we glorify God by living a faithful and faithful life, instill love in our neighbors, and always instill the fragrance of Christ. May the Lord give me strength and wisdom, and keep me so that I can live a victorious life. We pray in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen
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