Tag Archives: Faithfullness

Sermon Poetry – “We’re Saved to Love and Live for Christ”

Sermon Title – “Thyatira and the Enticement to False Spirituality
Text – Revelation 2:18-29
Preacher – Jarrett Downs on 2 August 2009

I am a man ‘twas born in death
Adrift and blind in sin
But Jesus came and died for me
He changed my heart within

In Christ I can obey the Word
And Love His Chosen Bride
By Grace I’m sanctified to love
His love I cannot hide

But even still there is within
My sin I’ve still to fight
If I don’t follow Jesus’ Word
I’ll drift away from Light

False leaders in this World abound
Performing Satan’s dues
With whispered lies and bright deceits
They live to cloud the Truth

Lord God protect me from these snakes
The Devil’s agents dark
Enticing me to love the world
Lord God, protect my heart

They want me to enjoy the world
To play in Satan’s sooths
To delve into the Devil’s ways
To grow in worldly truths

A weakened man is what I am
A needy beggar poor
But in the Son, I’m saved to live
A deadened soul is cured

Lord help me to enjoy Your Word
To swim in holy sooths
To delve into my Savior’s Love
To grow in Jesus’ Truths

And please, Lord God, protect me from
Becoming Jezebel
Enlarge my heart, embrace my soul
To in Your glory dwell

Dear Father Kind and Savior Sweet
And Gracious Spirit Fair
I praise You for Your Holy Name
This is my humble prayer

Faithfulness …

It seems that true, persistent, plodding faithfulness is perhaps the hardest part of the Christian walk.

It is fairly easy to be flashy and it is easy to exert a great amount of energy for a small amount of time. But to be faithful and constant … that is hard. Patience and persistence is required for such faithfulness. To be faithful means constant warfare with the flesh. For the faithful man or woman there are no breaks, no rests, and no separation from the grind. The faithful Christian is a plodder. She is content in doing what she is called to do, even if she spends her whole life in relative obscurity. The faithful Christian does not mind doing the dirty work. In fact, he puts all of his effort into the task, knowing that there will be few who notice. The faithful Christian will be told at the end of things “Well done, good and faithful servant”. The faithful Christian is a slave and he rejoices in it. She is a servant and in her servitude she seeks the honor of God. He knows he might never be noticed, but he is ok with that possibility and general reality.

He is the pastor of a small congregation in the Texas Hill Country. The church he serves in has never had much numerical growth. He has never had many converts. He is not flashy and he is not real relevant. He is faithful in the little things and faithful in the big things he is given responsibility for.

She is the mother of ten believing children and currently the grandmother of fifteen. She was a beautiful woman in the flower of youth but now her body is wrinkled, bent and worn out. She is not flashy and she’s not real sexy. She is faithful in the little things and faithful in the big things she is given responsibility for.

This man might not be successful in the eyes of the world (or even the eyes of Evangelicals!), but in the Lord’s eyes this man is honored. This woman might not be beautiful in the eyes of the world, but in God’s eyes this woman exhibits true human beauty.

Are we content with faithfulness to God, or are we in such pursuit of fame, success, relevance and beauty that we lost sight of the one by whom and for whom all things exist?

Quote of the Week – Mark Galli on Pastors and the Election Season

Pastors are right about this much: The election season is a unique moment in a church’s life, but not because the pastor has the chance to lobby for his candidate. No, the Christian preacher has the unparalleled opportunity to act as the only sane person in a nation mad for power, the only voice in an ephemeral season filled with lies and half-lies to speak abiding truths — that elections (even “the most important in a generation”) come and go, that princes (even “the most gifted in a lifetime”) appear and pass away, that nations (even “the greatest in history”) rise and fall.

-Mark Galli