Faithful In An Unfair World

I'm going back and posting some blogs I wrote and for some reason did not post. This blog was written in Sept 23 2007. I wrote this after I was reading the accounts of faith in the Bible and as I read I wish I had such faith. Then I realized I was focused on the part of the stories when all was right, the happy ending if you will. So I went back and read the whole story. The part when it was not so happy or easy. I wondered if I would have been able to make it through the difficulties to enjoy the rewards of faithfulness.

I want to be the Joseph who ruled, am I willing to be the Joseph in Prison? Am I willing to be the Joseph who forgave his brothers?

I want to be the David the King, Am I willing to be the David in the wilderness?

I want to be Paul the great preacher, Am I willing to be the Paul in prison?

I want to be Peter the leader of the church, Am I willing to be martyred for what I believe?

I want to be the Daniel who was made ruler over the entire province of Babylon, Am I willing to be the Daniel taken into captivity?

I want to be faithful, Am I willing to endure suffering as Job?

I want to be in a position of respect, Am I willing to wash the feet of others?

In each of these examples God used everything in their lives to make them the example we look up to. Both the good and the bad, the blessings and the difficulties.

Although the Bible is complete God is not done writing stories to encourage others. The question is are we willing to be used by God? Are we willing to endure difficulty to allow God's love to be seen to others. Are we willing to lay down our life for future generations for those you will never meet? When Christ asks do you love me, are we willing to stretch out our arms as he did and say, "Yes Lord, I love you this much."

This past week I began to think of my favorite person of the old testament, Joseph. I love his story because he is a man of faith when life did not go the way it should, but in the end you see God's plan. You see how God used the difficulty in Joseph's life to do His will. You see a man faced with injustice yet still faithful. Joesph's story is one full of examples and hope. A story with a happy ending, so happy we tend to overlook the complete story. Like when Joseph is put in prison after being falsely accused.

Where do we look for encouragement. Do you think that for the past 2000 yrs there hasn't been any examples like Paul, David, Joseph? Do you think there is no need for examples of faith today? Do we somehow think we can not be one of these examples ourselves? Do you think we are not an example to our children? How about to those we work with or our neighbors? Do we think stories of faith are complete, that we have all the examples we need. Do we think we owe nothing to those who follow us? Our lives are chapters and verses that are being written today. How would our story read? Are we faithful in the jail cell, in the well or in the wilderness? Are we equally faithful to God when life is difficult as when life is easy? Do we view God as good when we get what want and bad when life is hard?

Am I ready to have my life's events written down for others to read? My life does not need to be one of perfect faith to be used by God to encourage others. Andrea's was not yet she touched so many lives. Sometimes we think if we can't do it perfectly then we need not try at all and that only limits our effectiveness. God uses "all things" in our life. The blessing and the curses. The rain and the drought. Though it all we learn and grow in our faith and become more and more Christ like. Never attaining yet always striving, knowing God is using all we experience for His glory. Knowing we serve Him when we suffer as much as when we are blessed. Sure one is easier and more enjoyable then the other but both are service to the one who gave us salvation, the greatest gift of all.