Quiet, simple faithfulness

February is always a time of deep reflection for me. It was February of 2008 that I lost my mom to a short battle with cancer. This yearly reminder of her life and faithfulness to Jesus always challenges me to stop and evaluate my own walk with God.

This year, it has caused me to reflect on the many funerals of faithful saints that I had the privilege of taking part in this past year. These funerals were not filled with stories about personal accomplishment or financial achievements, rather they were overflowing with testimonies of the selfless sacrificial love they showed to those around them. Their lives reflected the words of Paul in his letter to the church in Thessolonica.

Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for [anyone] to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.

They lived quiet, simple lives of devotion to God and love for others. It was in the simplicity of their faithfulness that they had the greatest impact on those around them.

In a world that continues to scream louder and louder for attention, the last thing people need is for us to try and yell louder than the chaos.

As we look through the narrative of scripture when God’s calls His followers to lead, He calls them to lead by example, not just words. Whether it was judges, kings, prophets or apostles, it was action, the living out of their message in front of their audience, that made the greatest impact to the world around them.

My prayer is that we can learn from the faithfulness of those who have gone before us. God has called us to quiet, simple lives of devotion to God and love for others. As followers of Jesus may we lead the way with our actions, so that when the time comes for us to speak, our words are heard by those around us.

Pastor Kyle Bostock can be reached by email at North Summit Church, k.bostock@northsummit.com.