Faithfulness not Results

1 Corinthians 4: 1-5 

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

God teach me your ways. Teach me what it means to be faithful to you and not setting my hope in results. How do I live as one entrusted with the mystery of the gospel and the secret of the kingdom revealed that all can know you God and be with you through Christ? How do I live with that joy and urgency of proclaiming the kingdom and not get stuck seeking results? How do I really press into faithfulness and endure when results don't come quickly? 

Hmm that's heavy - for I may spend some time in ministry, evangelism, etc but I know the motives of my heart are not 100%. I know I feel I deserve rest and getting to spend time my way. I know I feel injustice is done to me when more is demanded of me and more is asked of me at work and I have been struggling with in turn putting this burden and annoyance on my coworkers. 

Is the motive of my heart love or feeling important? 

Love not time. Love not obligation. Love not Results. 

Love is the pure power of the gospel: that God really loves us. That he loved us that much that he sent his only Son. 

Faithfulness means I am the servant of one only - that his perspective is the only one that matters. If my master my Lord my Father is pleased then nothing else matters. If I am not faithful but I am successful, efficient, productive, active in life, ministry then I gain nothing. 

1 Corinthians 1: 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Faithfulness is simply this: to love God - to truly love him and seek him and want to know him more and more. And to love others is his call to love deeply from the heart as Christ loved them. His commands are not complicated but simple. Faithfulness is simple obedience and trust that God will meet the rest of the needs: the fruit, the transformation, the provision we need. 

Its all fairly simple but incredibly hard. 

God train me in faithfulness. Train me to not seek results but to seek faithfulness to count only your praise. Let my hope be to be with you and to walk in the joy of obedience as I hear you say well done good and faithful servant. Praise be to God that though my record will not be 100% you will say to me just as you said to your son Jesus Christ: 

Matthew 3:17New International Version (NIV)

17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

God I want to live to please you because I know its for my good, its the best possible life, its what I was made for and it will make my joy complete, but I am also so thankful that you gave me Christ's record and don't grade my record for salvation! I want to run the race of faith - faithfulness for the joy set before me to be with you forever. I will fix my eyes on Jesus. God help me consider Christ and his endurance and his hope so that I will not grow weary and lose hope. 

This is my prayer from Hebrews 12:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.