Stay Faithful

 

 

Luke records in chapter 21, Jesus’ last discourse before his death. In this address, Jesus made some predictions that came true, such as the destruction of the temple by the Romans and Antiochus IV’s desecration. Jesus said there would be wars, natural disasters, cosmic signs in the heavens, and false teachers claiming to be Christ, but we should not let any of these things hinder us from being faithful to God.

Jesus told us to guard our hearts and not become indulgent and indifferent about what really matters in life (Luke 21:34-36). Although the sermon is complicated, it’s clear that his words’ main point is that his followers must remain faithful. There have been and will be many distractions, but we should always stay the course.

We must not be numbed by all the voices that try to define what is essential and what is not—no matter who says what, we must remain faithful to Christ. Most of us will never be famous or occupy positions of power, but we all can be faithful where we are. We can be faithful in our work and reliable in our ministries. We can be faithful husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, friends, and most of all, servants of Christ. The following story, written by Joe Allen, illustrates the point:

 

During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. So Churchill called together the labor leaders to enlist their support. He told them to picture in their minds a parade that he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war. First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then, would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and had gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then, would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.

 

Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot streaked men in miner’s caps. And someone would cry from the crowd, “Where were you during the critical days of our struggle?” And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, “We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.”

 Our focus has to be on Jesus, the one we love. He and he alone is the prize worth receiving. He is worth keeping our faces toward the coal. No matter what happens, we want to be found faithful to one who gave everything for us.

 (Parenting with a Long View)  https://boydbrooks.com/