Faithfulness


Psa 101:6  Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may 
dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

Ok, they had all made the commitment to the team at the same time, so who could have ever 
guessed this outcome? No one would have ever thought that he would be the one standing to accept the 
"most valuable" honor. He was from the wrong side of the tracks and always looked to be wearing hand-
me-downs. He was very difficult to understand as he had just begun to learn English, and he was therefore 
mostly by himself. The way he moved indicated a lack of physical development and possibly an injury at 
some time in the past. What made this even more interesting was that many of the others had seemed to 
have all the necessary qualities- strength, size, knowledge, personality and appearance, and yet they were 
standing there clapping for the one who originally seemed to be void of gifts, but had been transformed 
somehow to this person accepting the honor. Apparently they had all that it took to be the best, go the 
farthest, and be the biggest impact for the team. Yet, all those natural gifts and abilities had been 
overcome by another one of greater significance altogether- faithfulness. While he wasn't 'gifted' with 
many of the natural strengths and abilities that would seem to be so necessary, he took the one thing that 
was his and allowed it to overwhelm all the obvious challenges. Every instruction, every drill, every 
guideline was followed carefully, and, as others were quick to shower and be done, he gave extra 
moments to a few more repetitions of an exercise or a little more concentration on a certain skill. Though 
he didn't completely abandon his other responsibilities, for the period of this season, he determined to 
live, eat, and breathe this thing that had become such a passion. It hadn't really been his goal to be better 
than anyone else or to be acknowledged for his achievement, but there was just a strong motivation to 
become the very best that he could be and enjoy every moment of the process that would take him there. 
Somehow he had acquired this belief that would not allow him to give up or let anything that he must do 
be ignored or left undone. His was a faith that took the form of faithfulness as it was given life by every 
motion made to ensure its completion. His standing in the place of honor for what he had become was 
made possible by attention to every detail and the action he might give to insuring its perfection. 
	There is a place of honor for all those who line the walls of the Faith Hall of Fame. Most of them, 
though, did not arrive there by their gifts and talents alone. There was a time in their life when they would 
probably have been the last chosen as the Most Likely to Succeed. It wasn't as much what they were 
given as what they gave. For every glimpse of success, there was a task before it, something that if given 
a passionate effort would remove any obstacle in its path. Though it could never have been by their 
efforts alone, there was something very powerful that was added to their movements as the power of the 
Holy Spirit was given an opportunity to move with their motion. They were captured by a belief that 
disallowed complacency and leisure for the insistence on doing whatever they might in order to gain their 
passion. 
Where a vision has been cast and a directive given, there is a possibility provided that only lacks 
the action of faith- faithfulness. This is something that isn't a one-time explosion of pent up belief; but it 
is the inevitable outcome of one who has found purpose in every step and every process along the path. A 
long walk minus one step along the way is a walk interrupted and never completed. Each motion, each 
effort is one by which our belief is affirmed by more than words. As the vision of our Master fills our 
sights in greater clarity, may it be that His most endearing and powerful quality becomes ours also. May 
His faithfulness to accomplish and fulfill also become our way of life as our passion for and belief in what 
He has spoken transforms our lives from ones that are continually interrupted to those that will steadily 
progress towards the prize He has promised. May no stone be left unturned on the way to His completed 
purpose in our lives. May we be passionately faithful to the end, and may that end be glorious.