Quiet Ordinary Faithfulness Psalms 97:10-11 Psalms 101:6 Psalms 31:23-24 Psalms 37:28-29 Matthew 25:21 Matthew 24:45-47 2 Samuel 22:26-27 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 09.16.19

QUIET ORDINARY FAITHFULNESS

BREAD

¹⁰ Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. ¹¹ Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Psalm 97:10-11 (NIV)

⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.  Psalm 101:6 (NIV)

²³ Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. ²⁴ Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.  Psalm 31:23-24 (NIV)  

²⁸ For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; ²⁹ the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.  Psalm 37:28-29 (NIV)

²¹ “His master replied, ‘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 25:21 (NIV)

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”  Matthew 24:45-47 (NIV)

²⁶ “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁷ to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.” 2 Samuel 22:26-27 (NIV)

²⁰ This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. ²¹ In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.  2 Chronicles 31:20-21 (NIV)

²⁶ Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.  1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NIV)

¹ So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. ² Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Faithfulness rarely feels heroic; it feels much more like showing up and hanging in. It is a matter of going to our cell, whatever form that might take, and letting it teach us what it will. Availing himself (Brother Lawrence) to consistent faithfulness yielded the blessing of both proficiency and presence—the presence of God—right there in midst of the monotony of dirty pots and pans.”   Margaret Guenther

“Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God.  The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.  We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to ‘all these words.’  There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded.  This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children.  The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation.  If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed.”   Charles H. Spurgeon 

“I do not pray for success.  I pray for faithfulness.”    Mother Teresa

“Every miracle always begins with the first ordinary step of faithfulness.”   Ann Voskamp

“Use your gifts faithfully, and they shall be enlarged.”   Matthew Arnold

“Every time we resist the slightest temptation, we honor God.  Every time we overcome even the smallest problem by trusting and obeying our Lord Jesus, God is glorified in our lives.  Whenever we choose character over convenience, faithfulness over ease, or honesty over deceit, we bring honor to the Lord Himself.”  Robert J. Morgan

“Just because something that is presented for us to do does not seem ‘grand’ in our eyes does not negate the fact that it is most probably ‘grand’ in God’s.  ‘What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.’ (Luke 16:15B).”  BHY  

“Habits are to the soul what veins are to the blood. The very course of our life depends on them. Random acts of greatness pale in comparison to habitual acts of faithfulness.”   Ann Voskamp

“The faithful person lives constantly with God.”   Clement of Alexandria

“Our significance isn’t found in fame or fortune, but in knowing that we have been links in God’s chain.  Our faithfulness to Him, even in obscurity, will yield results that can only be calculated in eternity…..Our only duty in life is to be faithful to all the work the Lord assigns.”   Robert J. Morgan

“What will you do in these days of mundane faithfulness?”  Martin Luther

“Scripture reveals…that real and total freedom is only found through downward mobility…The divine way is indeed the downward way…[Jesus] moved from power to powerlessness, from greatness to smallness, from success to failure, from strength to weakness, from glory to ignominy. The whole life of Jesus of Nazareth…resisted upward mobility.” Henri Nouwen

“Tomorrow we get to wake up and be faithful. Whatever each step brings, and whatever hard comes...tomorrow we get to be faithful in that moment.”  Jason Tippetts

“We're pilgrims on the journey - Of the narrow road - And those who've gone before us line the way - Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary - Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace - Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses - Let us run the race not only for the prize - But as those who've gone before us - Let us leave to those behind us - The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives - After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone - And our children sift through all we've left behind - May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover - Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find - Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful - May the fire of our devotion light their way - May the footprints that we leave - Lead them to believe - And the lives we live inspire them to obey - Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.”   Steve Green

HEART SAVOR

• ·         God delights in the faithfulness of His children – when there is no applause or no adoring crowd.  Ordinary faithfulness may not be valued among man but it is highly valued to God Who sees all.
• ·         Scripture calls us to faithfully administer God’s grace in its various forms.
• ·         Faithfulness in the littles things is a big thing.