[Sons to Glory!]

I have had a desire to start a thread regarding things that are fresh experiences of Christ and/or that the Lord is showing us currently. My intention is that we will be edified/built-up. We are all saints of the Most High God (think about that!), in our Father’s family, and precious.

I pray the Lord would lead us within and guide us without as we share His grace with one another!

So to start, I want to share something that has really been an enjoyable and encouraging topic of continued fellowship recently among the saints I gather with. For me, it started with a brother sharing something to a small group of us over dinner one night, perhaps a month ago. He said he was reading in Matthew 25 where the Lord told a servant, “Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in a few things. Enter into the joy of your Lord!”

This brother said the Lord really spoke to him regarding two things – that the Lord said “faithful in a few things; and the brother said the Lord told him he would hear these very words. Man, his sharing hit me! “Faithful in a FEW things.” Jesus didn’t say many things, but rather “faithful in a FEW THINGS.” Wow!

Of course we’ve heard this passage for years, but somehow I think I always sort of skip the word “few” and even, amazingly, translated it as “many.” That is, I was incredibly hearing, “Since you have been faithful in so many, big things . . .” Nope – not there. “A few things!”

Then a flood of verses started flooding into my mind (as the Spirit does when showing us something) regarding this. It is small faith – like a mustard seed – that He’s looking for. Not necessarily quantity, but rather quality. Over and over in the Bible it is the principle of God starting small. It started with the One Grain falling into the ground. It started with just 12 disciples. A little faith. A little seed. A “still, small voice,” etc. (There is much here – I have a goal to write a new booklet concerning this matter of starting small.)

Then there was some Sunday sharing shortly after this, pointing out how Hebrews 11 (the so-called “Faith Chapter”) shows these “snapshots” of various ones being caught in the act of faith. If you look at most of these people, like David, they did some really despicable things! But it is their moment of faith that is captured in Hebrews 11.

Someone then shared that it’s like a father who is taking pictures of his kids doing various things. But when he catches them doing something he is really proud of: SNAPSHOT! And what is really amazing about our heavenly Father is that He actually forgets those other times! (He says He forgets – what is not of faith is sin – so He forgets all that is not of faith from us.) He knows this whole faith thing is something we are just beginning to learn, and He knows that He will get us where we need to go.

Then we were taking about Hebrews 11 at a breakfast fellowship and it was remarked that Sampson is also mentioned there. Sampson, who essentially forgot who he was, remembered who he was at the very end. He finished well and is included as a snapshot in Hebrews 11! I got a little flash fellowshipping about this, that this might be a picture of the church. Think of it - things look so much a mess in Christendom (and in us individually), but what if we remember who we really are at the end, and it all finishes well!? SNAPSHOT!

Our Father is so much for us! He wants the best in and through us, and will get the best. Along the way He encourages us (the God of all encouragement) – “Just have a little faith in a few thing! I know there will be failures . . . (I forget those.) Just remember who you are in Christ and finish well!”

Once more, I am encouraged to run the race – “Looking away unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith!”