It's Not How Strong My Faith Is, But How Big My God Is!

“How do you do it?”  I was at the gym doing my regular work-out routine, and a fellow believer that I met there some time ago was asking me again if I had met “Mr. Right” yet.  I just laughed and said casually, “No, not yet, but still trusting the Lord with that.” It was a simple response, and I didn’t think too much about it as I continued my workout.  Just a few minutes later, however, this same person was asking me, “How do you do it?” 

“How do I do what?” I asked, taken by surprise at the question.

“Stay so strong in your faith.”  As he went on to express how hard he was trying to believe God and help his family grow in faith, but how hard it was and how much he struggled, I knew I had to clarify one thing - I am not strong at all, and I struggle, too!  I prayed a silent prayer for God to guide my response, and what came to my mind at that moment, which I shared with him, was Rom. 10:17 – “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  The only way that we can grow in faith is through the Word of God, as we seek Him daily and fix our thoughts on Him.  If I take my eyes off of Him and stop depending on Him for even a moment, I quickly falter!

As I reviewed this conversation later in my mind, I thought about the fact that faith always has an object, and I was reminded of even some recent studies that we have done in my Sunday School class at church about this very topic.  What is important is not how strong my faith is, but how strong is the object of my faith. 

This is why Jesus could say in Luke 17:5-6, after His disciples had asked Him to increase their faith, that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed they could see a mountain be moved and cast into the sea.  The problem was not the size of their faith, but that their view of God was too limited.  It is not our faith that moves mountains, but it is God’s power that will do whatever God chooses to do, and our faith is simply that which unleashes His power to work in miraculous ways!

I decided to do a little more digging in Scripture for passages that speak about faith, and I came across Hebrews 12:1-2.  The really cool part is that this very same weekend my church celebrated its 50 anniversary, and the theme for the weekend was based on this exact passage!  These verses further reinforced in my mind the truth that running the race with endurance and staying strong in my faith is not about my own efforts, but about that which Jesus has already done and will continue doing in my life.  It is He who is the author, or source, of my faith, and He is the perfecter, or completer, of my faith as well!  From beginning to end, it is His work in me!  My responsibility is to keep my eyes fixed on Him and on His finished work on my behalf.  If I begin to focus on my own faith or lack thereof, I will certainly become discouraged and begin to falter in the race.  But if I keep my eyes on Him, trusting in Him for every step, and confident in His ability to complete what He began in me, then and only then will I be able to run with endurance the race of this life.  That is the essence of enduring faith – fixing my gaze on Christ each day by seeking Him in His Word, and trusting not in my own strength or faith, but in Christ’s power to complete His work in and through me as He has promised!

Abraham is a classic example of this, as seen in Romans 4:20-21.  We read that he was strengthened in his faith, because he was “fully assured that what God had promised He was able also to perform.”  Likewise, we see in Hebrews 11:11 Sarah’s example of faith, in that “she considered Him faithful who had promised.”  Moses, too, endured by faith when he left Egypt (Heb. 11:27), because He was focused on Him who is unseen.  This reminds me of the well-known description of faith in Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 

While we cannot see God, and we often cannot see how He is working or what the result will be in our lives, a faith that is founded upon and focused on His unshakeable promises and His character as revealed in His infallible Word will be steadfast and enduring.  So, like the disciples, what we need is not more faith, but a bigger view of God and a gaze that is firmly fixed on Him!

“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Heb. 12:1b-2

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Gal. 2:20

Lord, Make Me Needy!

 

One thing I have discovered about myself is a tendency to want to be needed by others.  Whether it is my students or coworkers needing my help with something, my friends or family seeking me out to do things together, or my church family asking me to help out with different ministries - I like to feel like I am needed and that I have something to offer to others.  Our hearts are so deceitful and full of pride that serving others can easily become more about boosting our own ego than glorifying God and pointing others to Him.  Thus, all too often we wait to serve until we feel that we are really needed, and if we never feel needed then we never serve or reach out to others.

As I was reflecting on Psalm 63 recently (which just happens to be one of my favorite passages in the Bible), I was reminded yet again that God not only desires to be needed by us, but He is also the only Being who can truly satisfy any of our needs!  We were created for Him, and to seek to have our needs ultimately met in another is nothing short of idolatry! Therefore, in my desire to be needed by others, I must consider carefully whether I am really putting myself in the place of God in their lives.  This is a serious thing, for God will not tolerate being dethroned (Is. 42:8; 48:11).

Instead, I must be quick to point others to Christ as the only One who can satisfy them and fulfill their needs.   I also have to be daily made more aware of my own need for Christ and for others who will help point me to Him, and not get offended or feel threatened when my needs are exposed.  The beautiful reality is that we are more effectively able to point others to Christ by being open and transparent about our own desperate need for His grace than by looking like we have it all together. 

If I want to be an effective witness for Christ, I must be humble enough to let others see someone completely in need of grace and living daily in dependence upon my Savior.  The Christian life is not about striving to be acceptable before God in my own strength, but about recognizing that I need Another who stood in my place to provide His righteousness on my behalf and daily clothes me with His power! 

If I am looking to Christ daily as the One Who sustains me and am being filled up by Him, then I will be able to overflow into the lives of others and serve them, not in order to feel good about myself or because I feel like I am needed, but out of love for the One Who is completely satisfying and a desire that others would know Him and be filled with Him as well!

Do I feel my need for God’s grace each day?  Do I recognize how completely needy I am?  Do I look to Him alone to fulfill my every need and faithfully reach out to others in order to point them to Christ?

 

“For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.  My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.”  Ps. 63:7-8

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” 

2 Cor. 4:7-10

 

 

 

 

Am I Growing?

“Look!  I’m almost as tall as you!” The last time I visited my family, my teenage brother was once again eagerly comparing his height to mine.  He gets taller every time I see him!  He was pretty excited when he passed Mom up, and he is looking forward to being as tall as his older siblings and even dad eventually! 

A new year is a good time for reflecting on other kinds of growth, too – most importantly, growth in our walk with God.  Though harder to measure than physical growth, God’s Word does give us a measuring stick by which we can evaluate spiritual growth in our lives, and it gives us important truths about how this growth takes place. 

Consider the following verses:

 Eph. 4:15 - But speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ.

In spiritual growth, the goal is Christlikeness!  He is the One that we should be measuring ourselves against, not one another!  And if we want to grow to become like Christ, we must keep our eyes fixed on Him!  If we are focused on Him, we will more readily be able to point others within the Body of Christ to Him, so that we may mutually encourage one another in growth!  It should also keep us humble as we realize that, if Christ is the standard, we all have a long ways to go!

 

Col. 1:9-10 - For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you.  We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.

                We grow in Christ as we gain a deeper understanding of God’s will and His character.  This is both the means by which we grow and the end that we pursue as we grow!  The more that we learn about Him, the more fruitful we will be in living a life that pleases Him, and the more  we are devoted to living for Him, the more we grow in intimate knowledge of Him!

               

1 Pet. 2:2 - As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.

            The Word of God is the spiritual nourishment that we need in order for growth to take place!  Therefore, just as a baby cannot grow apart from continual physical nourishment, it is impossible for any real spiritual growth to take place if we are not committed to time spent in God’s Word every day!

 

2 Pet. 3:18 - But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

            Ultimately, spiritual growth is a work of God’s grace in us, through His Spirit, and it is for His glory!  Therefore, our aim should never be to exalt ourselves or boast in how much we have grown, but to display God’s grace and faithful work in our lives by giving all the glory to Him for any growth that is evident in us!

 

May God help each of us this year to fix our eyes on Christ, mutually encourage one another in the goal of knowing Him more, feed on His Word day by day, depend upon His grace to work in us, and pursue His glory first and foremost in our lives! 

Behold Your God!

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matt. 1:21-23

The birth of Christ… the coming of a Savior to deliver us from the bondage of sin… what a wonderful truth to celebrate and remember at Christmas!  And how fascinating to think that God’s purpose in all of this is to restore people to fellowship with Him… the mystery of the incarnation… God coming to dwell in human flesh… His ultimate desire to dwell eternally in the midst of His People and be their God!

Reading through the Old Testament prophets, I have been amazed to notice once again the emphasis upon God’s desire to dwell with His people!  Of course, the emphasis in the Old Testament is upon the nation of Israel, and they certainly have a special place in God’s redemptive plan, but how amazing to think that we, too, Gentiles who are in Christ, are welcomed into the same kind of relationship with God and will dwell eternally with Him in perfect fellowship because of the work of Christ that has made us co-heirs and fellow citizens of His Kingdom!

Below are some key passages from the Old Testament that emphasize the amazing truth of God dwelling with His people, fulfilled in the coming of Christ:

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken…. Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”  Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.  He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.   

Is. 40:5, 9-11

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.  Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.  The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 

Is. 52:7-10

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 

Jer. 33:14-15

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy.  I will feed them in justice…. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.  And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them.  I am the Lord; I have spoken.

Ez. 34:15-16, 23-24

 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them.  And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.  My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Ez. 37:26-27

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. 
Dan. 7:13-14

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else…So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. 

Joel 2:27; 3:17a

 

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.  Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.  And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. 

Micah 5:2-5a

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  Hab. 2:14

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies.  The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.  On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. 
Zeph. 3:14-17

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.”  

Zech.  2:10-11

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 

Zech. 9:9-10

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.   On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward…. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him…. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. 

 Zech. 14:3-5, 9

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings…. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 

Mal. 4:2, 5

 God’s coming to earth in human flesh the first time was just the beginning.  We look forward to the day when He will come again to reign on the earth, and so we shall forever be with the Lord in perfect harmony and joy! 

 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 

Rev. 21:1-3

Walk Humbly With Your God

“…God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.”  (1 Pet. 5:5b-6)

Reading through the books of Kings and Chronicles recently in my devotions, I have been struck by repeated reminders that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  There is example after example throughout the history of the kings of Israel, and into the captivity and return of the exiles to rebuild Jerusalem, of those who found favor with God because they humbled themselves and sought Him.  On the other hand, examples abound of those who grew confident in themselves or put their trust elsewhere and did not prosper.

The truth that God gives grace to the humble may perhaps be seen nowhere more clearly than in the life of Manasseh.  He started off very wickedly and did much evil in the sight of the Lord, yet when he humbled himself and repented, God showed him mercy and delayed the destruction of Jerusalem so that it would not happen in Manasseh’s lifetime (2 Kings 21; 2 Chron. 33).

Jehoshaphat demonstrated dependence upon the Lord when the Moabites and Ammonites came against him to attack him.  He sought the Lord and even proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah (2 Chron. 20:1-4).  Unfortunately, he seemed to be prone to make unwise alliances, however, and to depend more on these alliances than on the Lord, and in these cases he did not experience God’s blessing.  In fact, he almost got himself killed when he agreed to go to war as Ahab’s ally, in spite of God’s clear warning against it!

Uzziah was another who sought the Lord in early years, and God caused him to prosper.  But when he grew strong, we are told that he became proud and self-sufficient, and it led to his destruction when he attempted to do that which was reserved for the priests (2 Chron. 26).  How sad that he allowed his God-given successes to make him confident in himself, yet how prone I am to do the very same thing when I am experiencing God’s blessing in my life!

Similarly, Hezekiah started off demonstrating great dependence and humility before the Lord, and he was greatly helped.  In his later life, when he became ill and humbled himself to ask the Lord for more time, God blessed him and gave him 15 more years. Yet, Hezekiah struggled at different times in his life with pride and self-sufficiency when things were going well for him (2 Chron. 32:25; 2 Kings 20:12-19).

In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, I was struck again by how often I saw emphasized that these men depended upon the Lord entirely for success in their journey to Jerusalem and for the rebuilding of the walls and the temple, despite opposition from their enemies.  Ezra refused to seek protection from the king, because he wanted it to be clear to everyone that he was depending on the Lord to protect him.  God blessed him for this and granted him complete success on the journey.  Before Nehemiah ventured to make his request to the king of Persia to be allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls, we are told that in that moment he prayed to his God before speaking to the king (Neh. 2:4).  What a good reminder of the importance of that moment-by-moment dependence, living in a constant attitude of prayer and deliberately bringing to God each and every need and desire, even before we voice it to anyone else.  I can’t help but think that this is the kind of attitude of dependence that Micah has in mind when he writes, “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

Of course, this theme of dependence that God promises to bless continues throughout the Bible, illustrated in the lives of Daniel, Mary and Joseph, the disciples of Jesus, Paul, and many others – people who were small in their own eyes, but had a big view of God!  Oh that this kind of attitude would characterize my life every day, no matter how big or small the stuff I am facing may seem!

 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God”  (2 Cor. 3:5)

“indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead”  (2 Cor. 1:9)

Sufficient Grace for All I Need

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  (2 Cor. 9:8)

In a recent study of the book of Ephesians, I have found it very interesting how many times Paul uses the words grace or gift in the first 8 verses of chapter 3.  The grace of God allowed the Gentiles to become fellow heirs and members of the Body of Christ, and that same grace enabled Paul to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to them.  He humbly viewed his calling and ministry as a great privilege, a gift of God’s grace, not based upon any merit or worthiness of his own.  He also recognized that he was dependent upon the effective working of God’s power in carrying out this ministry.

I began to think about how I view the ministry opportunities that God has given to me.  How often do I truly think of them as gifts of His grace?  Am I relying upon Him by His grace to do His work through me?  His grace is both the source of these opportunities and the means by which they are carried out.  2 Cor. 9:8 tells us that His grace is given to us in abundance.  It is wholly available at all times that we might abound in every good work through His complete sufficiency – from a Greek word that Strong defines as “a condition of life in which no aid or support is needed” or “a mind contented with its lot.”

This word translated here as “sufficiency” happens to come from the same Greek root as the word usually translated “content” in Phil. 4:11 (“…I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content”).  Because Paul had learned that God’s grace was sufficient for him no matter what his circumstances, he had learned the secret of being content.  Recognizing every set of circumstances we find ourselves in as God’s gracious gift to us, rather than something that we deserve, and choosing to express thankfulness to Him for it, regardless of how we feel, is the first step towards being truly joyful and content in any situation!  It is not the situation itself that determines whether we will be content, but our attitude towards it.  God’s sufficiency is granted to His children already through His Son, by the working of His Spirit, so that we lack nothing.  Contentment, however, is a choice that we must make in response to the reality of God’s sufficient grace.  Or, as one preacher once put it, “sufficiency is God’s supply; contentment is my reply.”  So will I choose today to focus on God’s gracious sufficiency in every situation and thereby experience the fullness of His joy as I walk in grateful dependence upon Him?  The bigger my view of Him and His sufficiency, and the more aware I am of my own unworthiness, the more humbly grateful I will be for His grace day by day and, as a result, the more joyful I will be, regardless of the circumstances!

I was made a servant of this Gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of His power. (Eph. 3:7)

And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

Witnesses Serve God Wherever They Are

“Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes…” Luke 12:37

God is looking for faithful servants who are obedient, dependable, and consistent as they wait for Christ’s return!  There are many things that can distract and hinder us from faithfulness to Him, among them possessions, jobs, other people, laziness, and wrong priorities.  But if we really get to heart of the matter, Jesus states it quite plainly in John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  It seems that the real problem, therefore, is that too often we love something or someone more than God, and this keeps us from being fully and consistently obedient to Him.

I had the privilege of attending a Voice of the Martyrs conference recently, and I was truly challenged by the countless stories of Christians who have chosen to put obedience to Christ first, at great personal cost, thereby demonstrating the depth of their love for Him.  On the way to the conference, I was thinking about how little we know of the true cost of discipleship in this country and couldn’t help wondering how much we who have never had to truly suffer for the sake of Christ miss out on in our relationship with Him.

God used the very first speaker at the conference to speak to my heart about this very thing.  He shared stories about believers suffering persecution in many different countries as faithful witnesses for Jesus.  Then he brought it home by giving some biblical characteristics of all witnesses for Christ, regardless of where in the world they are or what their circumstances may be.  His second point, and that which really struck me, was that witnesses serve God wherever they are.  In God’s sovereignty, He has chosen to place me at this time in this country and for some reason has kept me from experiencing the heat of persecution, at least for now.  This is not something I deserve any more than anyone else, but certainly something I should be thankful for!  Additionally, however, I was challenged to consider that with great privilege comes great responsibility.

I have been blessed not to have to face persecution in this country, but this means that I have an opportunity, yes, a responsibility, to minister to those who do experience it on a regular basis!  I have been blessed with such abundance, for the very purpose of being able to share with those who have much less!  In the Body of Christ, when one member suffers, we all suffer together, and this extends to the Body of Christ spread around the world!  Hebrews 13:3 exhorts us to “remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.”  In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul tells Timothy, “Don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me, His prisoner.  Instead, share in suffering for the Gospel, relying on the power of God.”  As we remember those who are suffering and lift them up before God in prayer, we are in a very real sense identifying with them and participating in their suffering!

Someday, Christians here, too, may face much more intense persecution – that day may be coming sooner than we think.  Regardless, my responsibility wherever God may place me is to be faithfully obedient, no matter what He asks me to do, and this includes identifying with my family in Christ around the globe in their sufferings by praying diligently for them and giving of my time and resources to be an encouragement to them.  There are many tangible ways that this can be done, and the Voice of the Martyrs is one organization that has facilitated serving our persecuted brethren.  Their website www.persecution.com offers many such opportunities to get involved. 

To whom much has been given, much will be required!  May we each be found faithful in using all that we have been given for the glory of God, by being effective witnesses for Christ right where He has placed us and by upholding those who are paying a great price for their testimony!  May the blessings and freedoms we enjoy not cause us to become spiritually lethargic or apathetic, but that we would be diligent and alert in serving the Lord, so that when He returns He may find us ready to meet Him with joy!