Reflections on the Lord's Faithfulness

Last night at our UCO Prayer Meeting, I heard a talk that really hit home with me about the Lord's faithfulness. I'd like to share some of my thoughts and reflections on the Lord's faithfulness and how I see it work in my own life.

What is faithfulness? I confess, I Googled it. Faithfulness means remaining true to one's word, steady in allegiance, unchangeable, and reliable. I again confess, none of the characteristics of faithfulness come easily to me.

While faithfulness does not come easily to me, it does to the Lord. When I think back to three years ago when I made the decision to personally follow Christ, I see the Lord's faithful hand at pruning my life circumstances so that I could better serve him. Me participating in this GAP year is probably the best example of the Lord's faithfulness in my life, because it took years for the Lord to open my heart to the idea.

So why do I struggle with faithfulness given that I follow an always faithful God? I'll give you an example: my service with Asian Outreach (AO). To be faithful to AO often costs me something. We have our Dinners and Bible Studies every Friday night, which means I often have to turn down invitations to other social events. I've also learned that it is simply impossible to whip up an authentic Asian dinner without first spending quality time in the kitchen chopping garlic, ginger, and scallions. Perhaps most difficult is remaining faithful to sharing the gospel with the women in AO. It's the most important aspect of my service, but also the part that brings me the most anxiety and fear.

Earlier in the year as I was sharing these concerns with my supervisor, he said something I've since repeated to myself when I find the call to faithfulness too overwhelming. He said:


"The quality of your service is measured by your faithfulness, not their response; nevertheless, earnestly desire their salvation, as the Lord himself does."


Faithfulness is not merely a Gapper job description, it's a way for me to emulate Christ. Faithfully sharing the gospel with others is part of my call to discipleship, a call I need to take more seriously. For I cannot be Christ's disciple unless I desire to make disciples of all the nations. Yes, being faithful costs me something. But my costs pale in comparison with what it costs the Lord to remain faithful to me.