| Good evening everyone, I am sending this daily devotional to you on Tuesday evening for Wednesday morning because I must leave very early Wednesday morning on a mission trip to Moldova. I will tell you more about it below. Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?” Our Bible verse for today: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 Our thought for today: “Be Faithful (please pray for us)” When we think about the character trait of faithfulness probably the first thing most of us think of is our determination to be faithful to God. We resolve to believe in Him and to trust in Him no matter what. For those of us who are married the concept of faithfulness also reminds us of our commitment to remain faithful to our spouse. But the practice of faithfulness should extend to all of life. It should be a character trait we want to develop and nurture. Therefore, as we continue to consider how we are going to live in 2026, let’s think about the important virtue of faithfulness. When we are a faithful person, we will be faithful to God and to our spouse, but also to others and to ourselves. We will be a man or woman of our word. We will say what we mean, mean what we say, and then do what we promise we will do. Therefore, other people can count on us to be dependable. Beyond that, we can count on ourselves to be dependable. Not only can others count on you, but you can count on you. Faithfulness is such an important character trait that Paul includes it as part of the “Fruit of the Spirit” which God develops in the life of a committed follower of Jesus Christ. The more spiritually mature a person is, the more faithful that person will be – in all areas of life. I have intentionally addressed this issue of faithfulness today because it’s directly connected to the issue addressed in the devotional from yesterday regarding the bad practice of excuse-making and procrastination. Faithful people don’t make excuses and procrastinate. They just get things done. They make a commitment (to God or to others or to themselves), and then they just start walking it out until the commitment is fulfilled. Recently I have been presented with the opportunity to travel and serve with a group of exceptionally faithful and dedicated men. Each January since the war in Ukraine started, these six men have gone to the refugee camps along the Ukrainian border to bring relief supplies, medical care, and the gospel to displaced refuges. At great personal expense of time, effort, and money, and while incurring some risk, this small group of men have been faithful in their dedication to serve the innocent refugees of this unjust war. This year they have invited me to go with them. This morning, I will fly to Washington D.C. to meet up with the rest of the group. We will then fly together to Eastern Europe, and on to Moldova. We will then be driven to the region where many refugees have congregated, and we will spend a week providing humanitarian relief and spiritual nurture. I am personally challenged by the faithfulness my brothers have shown for this task year after year, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to join them this year. Therefore, this will be the last daily devotional message you will receive from me until I am back in the USA on Monday January 19th. Until then, I ask you to pray for our team. Please pray for safe travel, no missed flights, and no lost luggage. Please also pray for our safety and for the effectiveness of our ministry. Finally, please also pray for the innocent victims of this war and that the war will end soon and the people will be able to return to their homes. Thank you in advance for your faithful prayers for our mission. I encourage all of us to resolve to make faithfulness a key component of our walk with Jesus throughout the coming year. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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