Timism of the day: If you want something done, ask a busy person.
Busy people are dependable people. They have to be, they have latched onto their purpose in life and are on a mission to get things done. If we want to be happy in this life, we can’t just pursue pleasure and avoid pain, we have to have purpose, something that drives us, that gets us up in the morning and pushes us to approach life with passion and a vengeance that cannot go unnoticed by others. This can be our greatest witness to the nature of God.
I cannot talk about purpose for very long without it leading to a talk about God and Dependability. There are perks to being dependable and finding ones purpose is more about the pursuit than it is the goal. Truly enjoying life is learning that it is more about the process of living it in the here and now. It’s not about beginning and endings, it’s about living in the moment. Thus, I like to call this the DAY TWO Principle. This is not the first day of the rest of your life, nor is it the last; this is Day Two and will continue to be Day Two until God decides otherwise. Thus, unlike many others, (as if that's surprising) when I get up in the morning, I say to myself DAY TWO, shall I continue?
The Day Two Priniciple is a bit of a psychological trick, to work with the brain in the way the brain works, as most of us do not like beginnings, nor do we like endings. We starting life long ago, and are way into the process of living it. So why keep starting again over and over and over, it’s tedious, thus thinking of it as a beginning can bog us down.
The Day Two Principle is about waking up running, as a person with vision has already gotten up before they ever hit the ground. The Day Two Principle is about learning to love the process and being dependable in the moment. So, in today’s Timism, I want to start with the topic of dependability.
DEPENDABILITY MEANS PURPOSING IN OUR HEARTS TO DO THE WILL OF GOD WHATEVER THE COST
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much (Luke 16:10).
DEFINITION OF DEPENDABILITYScripture equates dependability with faithfulness. The Greek word for faithful, pistos, means “trustworthy; true; reliable; and sure.” A project that requires unexpected sacrifice to finish the job provides a real test of faithfulness.
“He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not…shall never be moved” (Psalm 15:4-5).
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEPENDABILITY
I would thing that all believers would want their lives characterized by dependability. The Lord Jesus will use this quality to evaluate our work for Him:
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
It is also the one quality that God requires of those to whom He will entrust His resources, and the quality that will win a crown for eternity: “It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (I Corinthians 4:2). “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
CHARACTERISTICS OF DEPENDABILITY
• A dependable person will be in harmony with the heart and mind of God.
“I will raise me up a faithfulpriest, that shall do according to that which in mine heart and in my mind”
(I Samuel 2:35).
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thought than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Ps. 37:4).
• A dependable person shows great reverence for God.
“I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem for he was a faithful man and feared God above many” (Nehemiah 7:2).
• A dependable person demonstrates faithfulness in little things as well as big things.
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). St. Francis de Sales said, “Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily.”
• A dependable person has a heart attitude of faithfulness.
“You [the Lord] found his [Abraham’s] heartfaithful to You, and You made a covenant with him…” (Nehemiah 9:8, New International Version).
• A dependable person keeps confidential information private.
“A gossip betrays a confidence, but atrustworthy man keeps a secret,” (Proverbs 11:13, New International Version).
• A dependable person communicates energy and health. “A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is heath” (Proverbs 13:17).
• A dependable person is truthful in all that he says. “A faithful witness will not lie, but a false witness will utter lies” (Proverbs 14:5).
• A dependable person will not tell people how good he is. “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness; but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6).
• A dependable person encourages those whom he serves. “As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters” (Proverbs 25:13).
• A dependable person is faultless in his work. “Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him” (Daniel 6:4).
• A dependable person deals wisely with resources and relationships. (see Luke 16:1-15).
REWARDS OF DEPENDABILITY
• A dependable person will raise up a spiritual lineage of faithful descendants. “And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever” (I Samuel 2:35).
• A dependable person will be given greater responsibilities. Nehemiah gave Hanani and Hananiah, the ruler of the palace, “charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many”(Nehemiah 7:2).
• A dependable person will receive special praise and honor form the Lord. “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23).
• A dependable person will be protected by the Lord. “Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full,” (Psalm 31:23, New International Version).
• A dependable person will be given a crown of life. “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
THE MOTIVATION FOR DEPENDABILITYDependability means coming through for the people who count on us. Several factors could motivate us to such dependability.
The first and greatest motivation should be realizing that what we do to benefit others, we are actually doing for the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus explained this by saying, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).Timothy showed dependability, and Paul said of him, “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Philippians 2:20-21).
The second motivation could be that the Lord will evaluate our service for others when we stand before Him. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10).
A third motivation could be the awareness of Christ’s imminent return. Jesus gave a parable to emphasize this point. “The Lord said, who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom this lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Luke 12:42-43).
THE SOURCE OF POWER FOR DEPENDABILITYEven though God and others expect us to be dependable, God knows that our ability to demonstrate such a quality does not reside within us—our strength must come from Him. Our dependability is directly related to our dependence on God’s ability. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
It is through His faithfulness to us that we can be faithful to others. But how do we “tap in” to His faithfulness? Paul explains the process in his letters to the first-century Church. He discovered that the power of Christ is available only to those who acknowledge their weakness before Him.
The first expression of weakness is crying out to Him for salvation.
The next is crying out to Him in daily dependence upon Him. Paul learned how to translate trials and tribulations into reminders of his own weakness and of Christ’s sufficiency. These reminders were so important to Paul that he gloried in them by thanking God for them and seeing potential benefits in and through them. Paul showed dependability to the end of his ministry and explained the secret to his faithfulness.“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (II Corinthians 12:10).
HOW DEPENDABLE ARE YOU?
• When you give your word to do something, can others always count on you to do it, even if it is more difficult than you expected?
• If you experience unexpected difficulties, do you use them as excuses for not finishing a task?• Do you picture the things you do for others as actually serving Jesus Christ?
• Can your service providers depend on you to pay your bills promptly?
• Can members of your family count on you to turn down other opportunities in order to be with them for special events?
• Can the Lord depend on you to make the wisest use of the resources He has entrusted to you?• Do you graciously but firmly decline invitations that will distract you from carrying out your responsibilities?
Just sayin. Take it. Test it. Teach it. tim
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