Mark the Faithful Ones

Very few books inhabit my shelves that are not marked up with underlining, brackets, and stars in the margins to direct my eyes to what is significant to me.  Sometimes the underlining even has underlining.  Highlighting these passages helps me to remember what touched my heart, changed my mind, or how I learned something new.

Through the years, I have watched many faithful people of God who have crossed my path or walked with me for a season.  I have underlined a lot of actions and attitudes and practices in their lives.  I have carefully observed these individuals not because they were perfect (which they were not), and not just that they are faithful to God, but how.  What practices had they embedded in their lives?  How do they respond to both favor and calamity?  How do they love others well?  How does their faith in Christ play out in everyday life?  

Even in the really hard stuff.  Everyone struggles with something.

The Bible says to mark the faithful ones.  Watch them.  Underline their actions.  Take notes. What do they do?  What are they reading?  What are they involved in?  How do they spend their "spare" time?  Who do they love?  How do they serve God?  What are the habits engraved in their lives?  How do they respond?

Mark the blameless and behold the upright.  Psalm 37. 37

The faithful ones model before us how to walk with Jesus.  Not in rules.  But in word, deed, attitude, patterns of behavior, quick to pray, delving daily in Scripture, offering grace in unexpected places, generous in listening, and to have done all, to stand. 

And the trajectory of their lives looks very different.

It is not often that I take notes at a memorial service.  But I did last night during a celebration of a godly 96 year old woman who passed away recently.  She lived out her faith.  What drew our attention was not just what she did.   But how she did it.  This is what faithfulness looks like.

What lingered before each one of us, "It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me."  Galatians 2. 20

Give recognition to such men and women.  1 Corinthians 16. 18

Recognize them, emulate their actions, take notes, imitate their love for God and others.  They are not just walking with Jesus and blessing the world.  They are blazing the trail for us.