The Importance of Faithfulness: A'lana Chenevert

As of right now, I am reading the book of Revelation and the book of Ezekiel. It was something in Ezekiel 37 that grabbed my attention. In this section, God spoke of his intentions to restore Israel and of the New Jerusalem to come. As Ezekiel 37 closes, God says, “I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people (Ezekiel 37:27).”

This isn’t the first time these words have been used, and it isn’t the last. In fact, this is also said in the Book of Revelation: “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them (Revelation 21: 3).” It is this simple message I want to discuss. 

When I read Revelation 21: 3, I feel a sense of relief. I know that at that point the worst will be behind us. I would like to point out that when these words are spoken, God’s promises and plans in regards to our eternal life are being discussed. The fact that these words are repeated emphasizes the fact that God has not forgotten His promise and it will come to pass. He is simply reminding us that this will happen and that His faithful ones will one day live in His presence forever. I read this verse and I reflect on everything that is written after it. I know that at that point we will be with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords; we will be with God. There will be no more pain, no more death, no more sadness, no more tears! We will be his and live in the light of the Lamb, Jesus. We will also be rid of the chaos and grief that follows wickedness, for there will be no evil of any kind in the New Jerusalem! The thought of going home is something to be excited about; it is truly something I look forward to, and I think about it often. 

I said before that reading Revelation 21: 3 makes me feel that at that time the worst will be over. When I read that verse, not only do I think about what will be ahead of us, but I also think about what would have previously taken place. The Seals, the Four Horsemen, the Trumpets, the Terrors, the Two Witnesses, the Beasts ,the Mark of the Beast, The Seven Bowls of the Seven Plagues, the Judgment, the Fall of Babylon, Satan’s defeat- these are the things that will have taken place. When I read about these things, I feel a sense of dread, and I think of how intense and bad things will be. The book of Daniel describes these times as one of distress that the world has never faced before. No other time in the world’s history will ever be like it. I must admit that I believe that we live in the Last Days, in the times leading up to these events. I know this because of the signs given to us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. It says:

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”

With that in mind, I know that we must strive to be faithful. It is dangerous to fall in pace with the world, its ways, its sense of “normalcy,” and the increasing wickedness of it. I can attest to that. Before God revealed to me what was really going on in the world, my day-to-day consisted of the following activities: I read my Bible, I went to church, I prayed at certain times, played video games, watched anime, drew pictures, watched T.V., read manga, did chores, school, shopping, etc.. Everything was “normal.” There was a schedule to my life, kind of like a “eat, work, sleep, repeat” type of deal. Then 2020 happened. During quarantine, God opened my eyes to how I occupied my time and the age we live in; to our leaders, what plays on the T.V. , to the music we listen to and the people behind them, our holidays , hand gestures, and even our architecture. He revealed to me that His word is living and that the words in the Bible are literally happening before our eyes. This world can easily have you in its grasp, and as I reflected on how I was living, I realized how much of a hold it had on me. I said I loved the Lord and yet my actions said otherwise. I indulged in all these wicked things and even gave my time to other activities instead of taking time to be with Him. I repented and gave up many things at that time, acting on the fact that I love God more than the things of this fading world. In summary, I was told to ask myself this question: Am I a good and faithful servant of God? 

 I wanted to take the opportunity to say that this is a message of encouragement and a reminder of God’s promise to us. I want us to remember that we are simply passing through this world and that it is not our eternity; one day we will be a part of a great harvest and the Lord will bring us into His storehouse! The end of our race shall be rewarded and we will receive eternal peace and rest from this world. I say this to motivate you (and myself) to remain faithful! All of our efforts will be rewarded, and our work is not in vain. Be Faithful! If we are faithful, then we will be able to endure whatever is to come on this Earth- the big, the bad, and the ugly! Faithfulness will allow us to wait for the Lord, do his work, and watch for His Son’s arrival. To be faithful is to be loyal, steadfast, committed, obedient, unwavering, and devoted. God is faithful; he truly is. The proof is in many things, including all the work He has done to redeem us and bring us to Himself and it is understandable why He would want his children to be faithful as well. After all, we are the Bride of Christ; a true bride is faithful to her husband. Let us be the Light in the World and God’s ambassadors. Let us pray for the lost, be God’s messengers, and encourage one another. We may live in this world, but we shouldn’t be of it. We should keep the words of Revelation 21:3 in mind and live as such- be God’s people. And let us not be so preoccupied by our lives in this world that we forget about the eternity to come. 

I leave you with 2 Timothy 2:10-13. It says:

“So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. This is a trustworthy saying:

If we die with him, we will also live with him. 

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. 

If we deny him, he will deny us.

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.”

A'lana (left), featured here with older sister Jaya, is a freshman studying psychology at Louisiana Tech. She is a new, but treasured member of our Wesley community, and is deeply dedicated to faithfully serving the Lord. She enjoys playing video games, drawing, reading, and discussing the Bible. We are very blessed to have met her this year!