Faithful to God
It is so easy to forget sometimes that we are not the source of everything. It is difficult to remember that, while we use our minds and our strength to accomplish many good things, it is not because of anything good we have done. As we pray in the Divine Liturgy, “Every perfect is from above, coming down from You the giver of life.”
Holy brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. He was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. Yet Jesus has been counted worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house has more honor than the house. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) – Hebrews 3.1-4
In today’s reading from Hebrews, Saint Paul helps us to remember that God is the source of all things. He is the builder of all things, and we do well to remember our roll in construction. You could say He is the general contractor of everything built, and we are the subcontractors. When building a house, everyone must work together to accomplish a great build. The same is true in our lives.
In construction, the builder must trust the subcontractors to use the talents they possess. If a subcontractor wanders away from the job, not only is his portion left unfinished, but the whole house is affected. Each subcontractor therefore must also trust all the other subcontractors, as well as the Builder. Each subcontractor must constantly ‘check in’ with the Builder and the other subs. The same is true in our lives.
I am obviously not blogging about building a house. Consider today’s reading again, but this time insert yourself in the story as Saint Paul suggests when he says, “Holy brethren, who share in a heavenly calling.” Moses and Jesus were faithful to God, which means they were loyal and carried out God’s desire. Are we always faithful to God?
Having faith is much more than reciting a Creed. Having faith is living in a loyal relationship with God and ‘doing our part’ to make sure everything is going according to God’s desire. Jesus and Moses did their part, and now it is our turn. In your prayers this week, ask God to help you discover how you ‘fit in’ to His plan for salvation. Call your spiritual father and ‘check in’ to make sure you’re on track to complete the house, also known as your journey to heaven.
Tags: