The Reward of Faithfulness

1 Corinthians 4:2 (KJV)
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Luke 12:42-43 (KJV)
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

If they put pictures by the words in a dictionary, and if you looked up the words "Faithful Steward", you would possibly see Fred Hamby's picture there. In obedience to the call of God on his life, Fred moved to Dora Missouri over half a century ago and started a church where he pastored till he was promoted home yesterday afternoon. During 50 years of ministry Fred had become the pastor to an entire community and to generations of families. His influence reaches far beyond what we can see today and I believe according to scripture "Great is his reward."

God honors faithfulness. He doesn't expect that we are going to be perfect, but He does desire that we be faithful to Him. I'm sure Brother Fred had his days when he didn't feel as close to God as he would have liked. I'm sure there were even days when he didn't serve God as he would have liked. But the undeniable testimony of the sum-total of his life is that he was a faithful steward. If scripture were still being written his name might very well be added to Hebrews 11.

Live your life so the preacher doesn't have to lie at your funeral. Be faithful in the place God called you. And in the field where he planted you, BLOOM. Learn to cultivate in your life a heart that is never too busy to hear from God, or plans that are so important that God can't "interrupt them". Every day of your life is both an opportunity and a battle. The opportunity is to bring glory to God through your life. The battle is a spiritual one in which Satan desires to use your life to trash God and bring glory to himself. We must make ourselves available to God's plan for our lives and the opportunities he gives us today. We must also daily put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the attacks and tricks of Satan.

Brother Fred leaves behind a great legacy and a huge testimony. They were earned one faithful day at a time. You and I can leave behind the same legacy by living today as a faithful steward. After a few days we've accumulated a week of faithfulness, then a month, then a year. But they were obtained by living faithful moments in a day. Just be faithful in the moments God gives you. Let your desire be the same as Brother Fred's: "I just want to hear God say 'well done thou good and faithful servant'." After all, is there any greater reward?

Pastor Scott