The Reward of Due Diligence and Watchfulness
Joanne's article last Sunday (Sept. 24) asked a question, “How can we hold onto God?” The answer is that we can do that through faith and obedience. Indeed, faith and obedience are the essential and basic attitude of followers of Christ in terms of our reliance upon and connection to God. Such a teaching is simple enough. Yet, its practice requires a lot of watchfulness and determination.
A couple in Christ came to me recently for pastoral counseling. They were looking for help and spiritual direction to overcome a recurrent problem in financial management. They have been believers in Christ for more than a decade hitherto. However, they have somehow missed the opportunity to develop and enter into a good spiritual discipline. As a result, they were beaten by their moods and led astray by the emotional responses when things were not going right for them. The test for our faith and obedience in Christ comes mostly during our afflictions and frustrations. Most Christians could perform well during times of prosperity and success. Nevertheless, the Bible tells us that the maturity and gifts of the Apostles Peter and Paul were perfected only after their personal trials and transformation.
It is almost a universal truth that every servant of our Lord Jesus has to go through some sort of trials and transformation before one could become a valuable instrument in the hands of our Lord. You may wonder how then Christians should prepare themselves to serve the Lord. Should we seek trials actively and purposefully? The answer is “NO”. Jeremiah 18: 4–6 teaches us that like the clay in the potter's hand, so are we in the hand of the Lord God. It is entirely up to our Lord Jesus for what we might have to go through and become at the end of the day.
Luke 12:35–36 records one of Jesus' parables teaching us to be dressed ready for service and keep our lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. This teaching tells us essentially to do what is right and watchful before the Lord God as we are His servants. Luke 12:37 goes on to comment that it will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. The master will even gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. What a surprising outcome! Beloved, how good a promise we have: we will be rewarded beyond our expectation if we are willing to follow the Lord as our master and serve him with due diligence and watchfulness.
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