Faithfulness

“Well done good and faithful servant”. -Matthew 25:23

Jesus begins the parable of the talents with these words ”For the Kingdom of heaven is like” (v. 14). And one of the strongest points He makes is the importance of being faithful. Whether God gives you five talents, two talents or one talent the thing that matters to Him is your faithfulness. “His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things, Enter into the joy of your Lord” (v. 21).

You will notice that He did not say, “Well done, popular servant” or “brilliant servant” but “faithful servant”. Christ is talking about those who are often unnoticed but indispensable to His purposes. He is talking about those who blow no trumpets, wave no banners and demand no applause. He is talking about those who show up day after day and use the talents God gives them, to do the job He has assigned to them. Unnoticed by men, but noticed and rewarded by God! For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His Name, in that you have ministered to the Saints and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10).

These words describe those who shunned the limelight and are happy to serve in the shadows. They describe those who not only start the race but run the race day after day, who don't stop until they reach the finish line. Others may not think that you made much of a difference, but God does. While others make much of skill levels and success levels, God measures you by your faithfulness.

Setbacks are God’s Setup for Our Comeback

“When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (Luke 5:6 NIV).,

If you’ve ever felt discouraged with your work, you’re in good company. Maybe you’re worn out from overwork. Maybe you’ve put your heart and soul into a project, and it simply failed.

We’ve all faced setbacks at work. But it’s what happens next that’s truly important.

Just ask Simon Peter and Andrew.

Luke 5 tells us that the two brothers had been out all night fishing. As professional fishermen, if they didn’t catch fish, they didn’t make money.

But in Luke 5, they had caught nothing. To put it into modern lingo, it was as if the lake had gone into a recession. The brothers were discouraged and tired.

But then Jesus comes along and does the impossible.

After borrowing their boat to teach from, Jesus tells Simon Peter: “Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4 NIV).

Simon Peter’s response is typical of those times when frustration has set in: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything” (Luke 5:5 NIV).

We’ve all hit this stage. We’ve given our work our best shot and come up empty. We’ve done everything right and may even believe God led us to do what we’re doing, but we have nothing to show for it.

Then Jesus does a miracle. Jesus doesn’t just meet these guys’ need. He totally blows them away in the process.

The Bible says, “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (Luke 5:6 NIV).

Not only do they catch enough fish for themselves, but God also gives them enough to share.

After Simon Peter and Andrew do what Jesus tells them to do, they catch more fish in 10 minutes than they had in the previous 10 hours. God turns a setback into a comeback.

Your comeback may be just around the corner, too.

Whether you’ve been without work for months or years, or whether you’ve failed badly five times in a row, none of those matters.

God can turn the faucet on quicker than it was turned off.

And then you might need a bigger boat.

You Are Truly Free

So, if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36 NLT

What does it mean to be free? What is true freedom? To be free means - not bound, confined, or detained by force. This can be physical or even spiritual. True freedom however is found in Christ and Him alone. There are many who are not locked up or confined to a physical place, but they are still not free. There are those who are prisoners in their mind; hence they are not free.

We are made alive in Christ and therefore true freedom is in Jesus. We were all once separated from Christ because of our sinful nature. Our disobedience and sins brought about bondage and spiritual death. We used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil – the commander of the powers in the unseen world. Thanks be to God; He made provision so that we can be free and live a life pleasing to Him.

The scripture reference states that, who the Son set free is free indeed. Because Christ has set us free by giving up His life so that we may live, we should not allow anyone to take the freedom we received through Christ. Many attempt to constrain us through man-made rules and empty philosophies. We should not allow anyone to condemn us for what we eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths, Colossians 2:16 NLT. Christ has set us free from the spiritual powers of this world. Satan no longer has a hold on us. We are not governed by the law but now live by the grace received from God. We accept and believe what God says about us. He is the ultimate authority in our lives.

Though we have been set free, we should not use this liberty to sin and fulfil the desires of the flesh.  For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love, Galatians 5:13 NLT

So, Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1 NLT