The Safe Place of Faithfulness

Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:2

I’ve been learning recently that stewardship is all about faithfulness.

I’m taking care of my mom who has the devastating disease of dementia. She has an advanced stage and will forget the sentence that she just spoke right before the last. It’s overwhelming to know that I have no control over what this disease might bring as I take care of her. One thing I do know is that I can faithfully do what is right before me at the moment. I simply do what I can, when I can, and leave the results to God. So I'm learning to trust Him with all the things that are out of my control. Slowly but surely, as I take steps of faith, I'm growing in this stewardship God has given me.

I’ve seen firsthand that faithfulness is revealed during times of trial. For many of us, we respond to problems with fear, worry or anger. But, to live our lives well, faithfulness in Christ is the key to victory.

The heart of the matter is that faithfulness is born from a place of trust and loyalty. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

What situation in your life brings you angst that there are no answers for?

What are you placing your confidence in when you hear the bad news?

The simple reality is, ….you were never in control to begin with. So our one responsibility is simply to be faithful. It relieves so much pressure - and it feels so good!

When we faithfully steward what God gives us - in good times and bad - it molds us to the very nature of God! Day by day. Minute by minute. Each act of faithfulness building on the last.

Think of how this stewardship affects every single area of our life - our bodies, our minds, our relationships, our money, and our time (just to name a few). We get to practice this daily with every trouble we encounter. We choose faith and faithful acts that move us towards God, or we choose fear and fearful acts that move us away from Him. Those daily responses become habits, habits become character, and character makes up who we are.

In this season of my life taking care of mom, these words from the Bible are being played out, “In this life you will have troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world!” This power is found in our complete trust and confidence in God. There is no other name we can trust. Psalm 20:7 states, ”Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

So in your heart today let faith arise! No matter what you're going through, the safest place is trusting that Christ has overcome it!

-Lori Benham