May 10
DebDay 57: Faithful Anonymity
Sometimes, the greater acts go unnoticed.
Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes about a poor old man living in a small town, with a massive, opposing army surrounding them. Not by might but by wisdom the old man delivered his town. Later on, no one remembered.
As far as OT prophets go, Micaiah is not the first to come to mind. He told evil king Ahab the truth, when everyone else was telling Ahab something different. Like Jesus, like the Apostle Paul, Micaiah also got hit in the mouth for doing so.
Yet what Micaiah said was true, and came true. But to this day, Micaiah is not the first to come to mind.
Young men, and young pastors in particular are prone to dream big dreams of big audiences, big social media presence, and big results from their efforts.
But sometimes, as the years go on, there is no acclaim, no press conferences, no books written. For most of us, we may be asked by God to labor well, serve faithfully, and in anonymity.
Some will embrace their own anonymity. Others will tap out.
All pastors agree that to be faithful is better than successful. (But none of us live like we want to believe that proposition.)
There are faithful Mom's known only to their children. There are faithful leaders who are forgotten a generation later. And there are faithful neighborhood churches who once had a golden age, yet today the remaining remnant is barely hanging on.
It must be that legacy cannot be left to the memories of the forgetful. Faithfulness is not in the hands of later generations.
The legacy of faithfulness, even if done under a cloak of anonymity, is left to Jesus.
"Well done, good and faithful servant" are the words we all want to hear when that time comes.
Even if He is the only one we hear it from.
-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau
