The Great Equalizer
I believe that I am on the mend. Last night went much better and I didn’t feel as rough this morning as yesterday. However, Debbie and I have laid low and I have been working at pushing fluids and getting rest. I will reschedule my test for Tuesday and will try to keep some of my other appointment this week.
Christian and Bridget had a delayed 10th Wedding Anniversary trip to Mexico this last week. I was able to connect with them online and to get caught up and see the grandkids.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:2
I have shared and used as a point of encouragement the faithfulness of God. But Paul as he refers to himself to the Corinthians as a “steward of the mysteries of God” goes on and says simply, “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” God’s faithfulness is a sure thing, but that doesn’t mean the same for people.
In this simple statement the focus is on those who are “stewards.” A steward is simply someone who has been entrusted with a responsibility or a task. We read in Jesus parables about the “Unjust Steward” we read the “Parable of the Talents.” These and others recount the actions of someone entrusted with a responsibility. Everyone of us has been entrusted with a responsibility. It may be as an employee, a parent, a business owner, an investment adviser, a member of the military, a minister, a volunteer, the list goes on. This role is not something that relates to some of us, it relates to all of us. Moses is described as “….faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” Hebrews 3:5
I then notice the word, “required.” In the job description of steward this is “the one” qualification that stands out above the rest. It doesn’t mean that other factors may not come into play but without being trustworthy and reliable, nothing else matters. As Paul wrote to Timothy about spiritual leadership he said, “…and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 He didn’t say look for the smartest, most successful or the most influential, he simply said make sure they are faithful. To be faithful is to be successful.
Stewards are “found faithful.” You don’t tell someone you are faithful, you prove them your faithfulness over time. Solomon said, “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?” Proverbs 20:36 Jesus said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much…” Luke 16:10
Through the years, I have referred to “faithfulness” as the great equalizer. Regardless of opportunity, regardless of background, regardless of your level of education or any other qualifier that we use to measure value, everyone can be found faithful. Remember the words of commendation in Jesus parable are “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:23
When I think of the area of faithfulness, I think of my father-in-law, Elmer Kercher. He was born to immigrant German parents, not having much as a child living on the family farm. He married Debbie’s mom (Isla) at 18 and headed off to the Army to fight in World War II. He returned after the war to attend Bible School and for a short time served as the pastor of the Assembly of God in New Raymer, Colorado. (Lola Spadley, the first woman Speaker of the House in Colorado, told me that her family purchased the old Assembly of God church building in New Raymer and made it into their family residence.)
He worked in construction and then found a career with the US Postal Service. But with his heart of commitment to the Lord, he devoted himself to serving in a local church. Debbie’s parents only attended one church for over 50 years in Fort Collins. Elmer served on Church Board, served as an usher, and taught a Sunday School class with Isla. His life from the military to his faith in Christ, to being a father was devoted to being faithful. A song was sung at his funeral that contains the words, “may all who come behind us find us faithful.”
In Fort Logan National Cemetery you will find rows and rows, almost without end of the military style white slap monuments. In those thousands who have served our country and whose bodies have been placed there to rest, you will find one with the name Elmer Kercher and below the dates of his birth and death the words, “found faithful.”
That commendation from family, friends and the Lord is what life is all about. Be found faithful today.