It was Pompeii.
AD 79.
As the story goes, the Roman sentry heard, saw, and smelled all of life crumbling around him. Vesuvius had erupted.
Yet he hadn’t been dismissed from his post.
So he stood.
Just stood.
Should we do any less?
There’s only one way—stay near the throne. It’s there we’ll receive mercy and find grace to stand firm (Hebrews 4:16).
Jesus showed us how. He was faithful to do his Father’s will (Hebrews 3:1-2). Tempted yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Endured the worst to secure the best (Hebrews 12:2-3).
God keeps his promises.
So our confidence is in him. In his faithfulness. The only reason we can be faithful is because he is.
And our faithfulness—in big things and small things—will encourage others to stay in his presence too.
- To be bold.
- To love.
- To do good works.
- To do his will.
- To receive rewards.
If we’ll stand.
Just stand.
What did you learn in your study of faithfulness? How can we encourage each other to be faithful?
I shouldn’t be here today; but God’s faithful grace surrounded me; He has plans for me. I’m trying to listen more than speak. I feel like the more I can share with others about my story and what He’s done for me, that I’ll be passing along a message.
His grace is faithful.
Beautiful, Caroline. I’m thankful you are still here (and stopped in *here* on the blog) to share. When I hear of others who trust in God’s faithfulness, it helps me trust Him more, too.
Thank you Lisa…Awesome illustration of faithfulness today…I like it…JUST STAND. It seems in this generation today that the only STAND being taken is “to NOT have to stand for anything -a consensus that…IT’s ALL good…” Thank you. xo hugs.
Yes, Julie. Unfortunately we’re often encouraged to NOT stand, out of fear of offending someone else. But some things we absolutely must take a stand for, and our faith in Jesus is one of those things. Your faithfulness in that encourages me.
“The only reason we can be faithful is because he is.” Amen. Love that.
I read this below from Nancy Guthrie in an Advent devotional in my inbox this morning:
“Waiting patiently for God to fulfill his promises is what it means to have faith.”
I want to think more about the statement itself, but it reminded me right off that it is HIS faithfulness to keep his promises that starts it all.
Like all the other fruit of the Spirit, He goes first. That’s a blessing.
Faithfulness in our relationship with Christ is obiedence for us, but an encourager for others. We are called to “just stand” -this is a wonderful thought to our reading last week.
It used to be difficult for me to believe that holding on to my faith is in itself an act of obedience, but thankfully I see it now.
Some other things I got out of our reading was that we hold firm to our hope because we can trust God to keep his promises. We need to stay brave and it will bring a reward. We need to stay patient so we’ll receive what he promises.
We are not a people who turn back and are lost. Instead we have faith and are saved.
Glad you are on this journey with us, Sallie.
Well done Lisa. I guess we shouldn’t do any less. I find it’s easier to be faithful and have faith in Him when we seek Him with ernest.
I agree, Floyd. When we seek Him, He grows our faith. It’s a beautiful cycle.
What a powerful image of the soldier remaining at his post. Oh, that I would remain at my post when all of life shakes and crumbles. Thank you for sharing this. It’s an excellent visual.
The imagery got stuck in my head, Denise. I read that Poynter painted it because of the remains of a soldier in full armor was found during excavations at Pompeii.
Oh I love this image. Puts me in mind of Ephesians 6, that soldier in his armor and standing, just standing. Yes, faith is standing, almost resting, isn’t it? No striving. Excellent analogy.
You’re so right, Patti. Definitely Eph 6 throughout. Love it.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
Ephesians 6:13 (ESV)
I also appreciate how The Message phrases it:
“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.”
I really needed this so much. Sometimes when you step out in faith, that’s when Satan comes to temp you to retreat . It sometimes seems like good advise. Seems like it may be good to get out of the way of the worlds reaction to our ‘Stepping out in faith’. But “Just Standing near to His throne, is what we need to do. Thank you for the encouragement.
I’m glad this speaks to you, Jen.
Sometimes “stepping out” and “standing” can seem like two different activities in my mind, but then I realize that there are times when standing IS stepping out because it puts us so out of step with the world (no pun intended).
I pray for wisdom for us to be able to see the best thing to do and the courage to do it. And grace for the times we mess it up.
This passage taught me that I have access to Jesus because of what he did for me- shed blood on the cross. Because of this trust and faith, I am called to hold tightly, motivate others, meet together and encourage others. God wants me to have patient endurance as I look forward to his coming.
You’re so right, Shonda. Our access is based totally on what Christ did – that in turn motivates and empowers us to all the things you listed. Thanks for sharing.