Honey From The Rock

www.poeministries.org

Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

THE FINE ART OF FAITHFULNESS

This entry was posted on 04-29-2008 and is filed under uncategorized.

The seventh fruit of the Spirit is "faithfulness" (Gal. 5:22). In the Bible, the number seven is symbolic of completeness. He that endures to the end (i.e., is faithful to the Lord) shall be saved. The following is excerpted from a paper I will be presenting at Pepperdine University May 1 & 2, "The Search for Semper Fi Saints" (Semper fi is Latin for "always faithful"). You may view the 24-page manuscript by going to www.poeministries.org and clicking on "Lectures". It will be posted May 1.

God is looking for a people who will be faithful, always faithful, forever faithful, to Him. "My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me" (Psa. 101:6 NIV). Two thousand years ago the challenge was issued to the faithful in Smyrna: "Be faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10 NKJV). The need for Semper Fi saints is great. The kingdom of God nees Christians who are always faithful: to their Christian mates, to their Savior, and to His church, the blood-bought body of Christ.

What does "faithful" mean? The Hebrew word in Psa. 101:6 is aman and means "to build up or support, to be firm or faithful, steadfast, sure, trusty." In Rev. 2:10, the Greek word is pistos and means "trustworthy, believing, true. Someone who is "faithful" is reliable, dependable, trustworthy, steadfast, stable, unfailing, loyal, "marble-constant" (Shakespeare), and responsible. Evelyn Underhill said, "Faithfulness is consecration in overalls."

What a blessing it will be to hear the voice of Christ: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter in to the joy of your lord" (Matt. 25:21 NKJV). I believe that every faithful saint who enters heaven will be given the Crown of Life. In the catacombs beneath Rome one of the most frequent Christian symbols found is the crown. Stephanos is the most common Greek word for crown. Stephen must have been given the Crown of Life when he laid down his life for Christ.

Song/Prayer: O may all who come behind us find us faithful. May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe, and the lives we live inspire them to obey. O may all who come behind us find us faithful. (Steve Green)