Know Thyself

We remember that the emphases of God are often made from a different direction than that from mortals.  This relates to values, and values are problematic for mortals.  Our reference here is to faithfulness, and the understanding of values in the applications of Christian principles.  Judas was unfaithful to Christ and his disciple friends.  Demas was unfaithful to Christ and to the Apostle – for a time.  Absalom was unfaithful to God and his father, David.  Jonathan found a way to be faithful to his friend David, to his father and to God.  Jonathan had character and nobility. What a friend Jonathan was, likely to every person admitted to his life.  World patterns of faithfulness and unfaithfulness would make a useful story for most of us.

Persons who are unfaithful to their constructive values are also taken as unfaithful to God.  The analogies are common to history.  Persons unfaithful to their countries are so to God.  A country undeserving of faithfulness should be exited or confronted in a peaceful way.  The person becomes the protest to reach for value correction.  If freedom permits open objection in an area the citizen remains, working for change in values.  Penalty is accepted for peaceful resistance – if penalty is imposed, as Martin Luther King, Jr. accepted.  It was in the Jesus context.  Faithfulness is related to the precedence of values made clear by scriptural practice.  This relates to faithfulness many Christians and others through the centuries have paid for with their lives.  Their martyrdom was the greatest protest and contribution they could offer for that which is to be addressed for correction.  In that commitment they contributed to the amendment, even the fall, of oppressive societies.  Christianity rose from those willing to die for it.  All this commitment to the values of God is what Jesus proclaimed and did.  He reminded Peter that God could send legions of angels to defeat any earth army.  With that he healed the ear of the soldier.  Love your enemies, do good to those who despitefully use you, he said.  Part of doing good is faithfulness.  (Matthew 5:44 & Luke 6:35)

This means God does not honor the king, and reduce the chambermaid.  The faithfulness to do one’s best in cleaning toilets will advance that person in listings over a leader of a nation who does less than his or her best for the nation.  God knows surely and mankind may not, if persons have lived well, have carried out the values related to their assignments.  In this we leave final judgment to God, but we do our best to honor as much as we can, in ourselves and others, the evidences of self-application in values.  The reward or award from God’s evaluation (judgment) is based, not on the task, but the values (not found in monetary or celebratory status) performance of the person in carrying through the tasks related to the duty, the work, the requirement, and the service to the needs of human beings.  It is meeting the needs and respect of human beings that expresses love and appreciation to God.  Since God has everything there is nothing we can give except that which he informs us he regards as carrying through on love and faithfulness to God in the service of his creation.  We find analogy in our lives.  Persons doing something meaningful and helpful for my children gain higher appreciation from me than if they had done it for me.  Offending one of my children is taken as less appreciated to me than any disrespect relating only to my own person. (Note: Making Things Right, by Ole Thorstensen. Reviewed by Nina MacLaughlin in WSJ, 5/4/2018, Pg. A13)

We are impressed with Scripture in the variety of contexts of faithfulness.  Moses was faithful in all his house (Hebrews 3:2); This is a faithful saying and worthy (I Timothy 1:15); faithful in all things (I Timothy 3:11); God is faithful by whom ye were called (1 Corinthians 1:9) God … is faithful with the saints (Hosea 11:12); Well done, thou good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21); He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much (Luke 16:10); faithful minister in the Lord (Ephesians 6:21); but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6); a faithful witness will not lie (Proverbs 14:5); they were counted faithful (Nehemiah 13:13); the Lord preserveth the faithful (Psalm 31:23); and, these sayings are faithful (Revelation 22:6).  In these and many more verses, clear in both Old and New Testaments, using the word faithfulness we learn where one area of value and achievement in Christ is found.  As Christians trust God in faith, God trusts Christians in faithfulness.  Judas failed the test.  For his account, a great sin was his unfaithfulness – disloyalty.      (1 Peter 2:19-20)