Help me up
Are you steady, dependable? I want to be a man who does what he does excellently, ‘in
season and out of season.’ No one should have to question, ‘can we rely
on Jerry?’ The Bible calls this faithfulness and God desires it in us. He
entrusts us with the treasure of Christ and says " it is required that those who have been given a
trust must prove faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2, NIV) Few
things bring more disgrace to Christ than those who claim to be passionately
committed to Him one day and apathetic towards Him the next! "Curses and blessings out of the same
mouth! My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day
and brackish the next, does it?” (James 3:10-11, The Message)
Faithfulness grows out of making the choice, to do the right thing- not the easy thing, not the convenient thing, not the fun thing – but the right thing. One does not live recklessly for years and suddenly become the model of steadiness! A child who is taught to do the little things on time and with quality will most likely grow into an adult who is capable of getting to work, working through conflict, making commitments! Jesus told a story about three men given a trust, each according to his abilities. The master inspected their work and commended two who were faithful by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matthew 25:20-21, NIV) However, faithfulness is not just a matter of discipline.
Faithfulness grows out of making the choice, to do the right thing- not the easy thing, not the convenient thing, not the fun thing – but the right thing. One does not live recklessly for years and suddenly become the model of steadiness! A child who is taught to do the little things on time and with quality will most likely grow into an adult who is capable of getting to work, working through conflict, making commitments! Jesus told a story about three men given a trust, each according to his abilities. The master inspected their work and commended two who were faithful by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matthew 25:20-21, NIV) However, faithfulness is not just a matter of discipline.
We cannot underestimate the value of companions who keep us
steady when Life gets rough. Even a great leader like Moses, needed men to
steady him when things were going wrong.
Here’s a story. "While the people of
Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. Moses
commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for
us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in
my hand.” So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek.
Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long
as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But
whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms
soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a
stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his
hands. So his hands held steady
until sunset." (Exodus 17:8-12, NLT) How did Moses
keep steady hands? Only with the help of two great friends!
Days will come when you want to turn from the hard stuff and run away! It can stretch into months when every morning dawns demanding that you get up and do the right thing when all you want to do is pull the covers over your head. Are you dealing with chronic pain? Are you trying to love a difficult person? Are you stuck working for a boss who is an idiot? Are you wrestling with temptation that keeps coming back? Stay steady. If you think you’re on the edge of collapse, call for support.
Then, too, watch out for pride when you’re doing well. Blindness to our weakness can overtake us when we’re on a long run of success. Here’s a warning and promise. May the wisdom of these words keep us faithful. “Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it " (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, The Message)
Days will come when you want to turn from the hard stuff and run away! It can stretch into months when every morning dawns demanding that you get up and do the right thing when all you want to do is pull the covers over your head. Are you dealing with chronic pain? Are you trying to love a difficult person? Are you stuck working for a boss who is an idiot? Are you wrestling with temptation that keeps coming back? Stay steady. If you think you’re on the edge of collapse, call for support.
Then, too, watch out for pride when you’re doing well. Blindness to our weakness can overtake us when we’re on a long run of success. Here’s a warning and promise. May the wisdom of these words keep us faithful. “Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it " (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, The Message)
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We Will Stand
Sometimes it's hard
for me to understand
Why we pull away from
each other so easily
Even though we're all
walking the same road
Yet we build dividing
walls
Between our brothers
and ourselves
You're my brother
you're my sister
So take me by the hand
Together we will work
until He comes
There's no foe that
can defeat us
When we're walking side
by side
As long as there is
love
We will stand
But I I don't care
what label you may wear
If you believe in
Jesus you belong with me
The bond we share is
all I care to see
And we'll change the
world forever
If you will join with
me
Join and sing
The day will come when
we will be as one
And with a mighty
voice
Together we will
proclaim that Jesus
Jesus is King
It will echo through
the earth
It will shake the
nations
And the world will see
See that
Take me by the hand
Join with me
Join and see yeah
James Hollihan | Russ Taff | Tori Taff
© 1983 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
CCLI License # 810055
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