Remaining Steadfast Amid Severe Winds of Change

Granite quarry in Vermont.

Of late I’ve been thinking about a word we don’t often use these days, but one that history has consistently held in high regard. It’s a proud, noble and virtuous term. The word is steadfast.

Despite the apparently lack of appreciation for this word in contemporary culture, it’s used repeatedly in the Bible. One verse I learned early in my Christian life is Isaiah 26:3, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.” The New International Version says it a bit differently, but equally effective: “You [the Lord] will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.”

We see the word again in Psalm 112, which declares, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments…. He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:1,7).

 

What is this word, “steadfast”? One definition of it is, “resolutely or dutifully firm.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance, or conviction…firmly fixed in place, not subject to change.” For me, the word also evokes the term “stand firm.” Put together, these definitions and synonyms call to mind someone who isn’t easily moved in the beliefs or standards they follow.

 

Why is this important? Because the foundational principles, virtues and values upon which our society was built and established are under assault, being attacked by gale force winds of change, compromise and watered-down convictions.

 

Whenever we read about great exploits, whether it’s being the first to climb a mountain like Mount Everest, engaging in combat, developing a championship sports team, or founding a great nation like the United States, we can’t avoid encountering men and women who remained steadfast, unbending, filled with rock-solid resolve in the pursuit of their goals.

 

I’ve been reading The Founders’ Bible, an edition of the Scriptures that also includes hundreds of articles, brief commentaries, and notes about how our Founding Fathers clung to their convictions and beliefs in the face of formidable, almost impossible odds. They were, in a word, steadfast.

 

In our walk of faith, we’d be wise to keep that word foremost in our minds. With everything that we see and hear transpiring all around us, it’s clear that like it or not, we’re involved in an intense spiritual war. Perhaps more than ever before, we must remain steadfast to avoid succumbing to the ongoing assault.

 

We read about this in 1 Corinthians 15:58, where the apostle Paul exhorted Christ followers in ancient Corinth, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” The NIV translates the word as “stand firm.”

 

The Corinthians could have used any variety of excuses for wandering from the faith, from everyday challenges they faced to the emergence of false teachers seeking to lure them away from the bedrock truths of the Gospel that they had learned and were living by.

 

King David, who experienced more than his share of opposition and adversity, wrote about the importance of standing firm. In Psalm 57:7 he wrote, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast…. I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.”

 

Even if we’re not of the spiritual stature of an apostle Paul or King David, the importance of a steadfast, uncompromising approach to life and faith is vital. Like a competitor in a marathon, we must remain fixed on our goal, the imperative of finishing our life’s race well – and serving God well as we do so.

 

The peer pressure is there. Prevailing messages in our culture beckon us to veer off course, “losing our first love” as the church in Ephesus was described (Revelation 2:4). Another ancient church cited in the next chapter, the body of believers in Laodicea, was said to be “lukewarm – neither cold nor hot.” Because of this, God said, “I am about to spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

 

The one who is not steadfast, who chooses instead to straddle the fence or is susceptible to losing heart, is like what we find pictured in James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave in the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

For many of us, Sunday mornings are times when it’s fairly easy to stand firm. We hear wonderful praise songs and hymns, a strong, biblically based message, and enjoy the company of like-minded believers. That’s good. But what happens when it’s Monday morning and the alarm of reality goes off, we go to the office and the phone rings, or we enter the classroom where contradictory views and values are espoused. Can we stand firm, remain steadfast even then? 

What Motivates You?

When was the last time you heard a motivational talk? Maybe it was in your church. Or perhaps at a gathering where some eloquent and accomplished speaker addressed the audience with such fervor, some people didn’t need to exit via the doors. They were ready to run through walls, they were so psyched up.

Years ago, I attended one of those multi-level sales meetings where men and women shared their glowing success stories and got many of the attendees fired up. I wasn’t one of them, but I must admit, their stories sounded convincing.

Lots of men and women have forged lucrative careers as motivational speakers, and some have supplemented their incomes with books capturing their inspiring messages. In many cases, what they have to say is good. It’s drawn from their own experience, and others benefit from hearing about what they’ve learned through the process of hard work, determination, trial and error.

Unfortunately, such external motivation doesn’t last all that long. I think of the popular Promise Keepers conferences of years ago. Thousands upon thousands of men would gather together for a couple of days, basically listening to a series of “Win One for the Gipper” speeches, only with a decidedly spiritual twist. I attended one in Atlanta, and a lot of what we heard was very good. But a week or two later, guys I went with were kind of scratching their heads and thinking, “Now, what was it I was so excited about at that conference?”

Because being motivated that way is like attending a football pep rally. Everyone’s excited, the team is pumped, and we’re all convinced our guys are going to score a resounding victory. Then comes the kickoff, however, the game is on, and we discover heightened emotions won’t be enough to win the day.

Which leads us to an important question: What motivates you? Experts tell us motivation drives basically everything we do, whether it’s extrinsic motivation – to achieve something or attain a goal, or intrinsic – being motivated internally for some form of personal fulfillment.

I think of a friend who many years ago started a ministry aimed at a very difficult segment of society. Some of us who knew him wondered how long he would stick with it, considering the many challenges, obstacles and disappointments he was bound to encounter. About 40 years later, he’s still involved with the same work.

So, what is it that undergirds some people’s well-intended initial commitments and enables them to endure and persevere over a long haul while so many others start well but fizzle out after a relatively short period of time? What keeps them motivated?

For followers of Jesus Christ, the answer can be summarized by a simple sentence: “For Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). The apostle Paul wrote this within a context of explaining his motivation for sharing the good news of Christ to any and all that he encountered. The love Jesus had shown to him, and Jesus’ love being manifested through him to others. This should serve as the motivation for everything we do.

In the same passage, Paul wrote, “If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you…because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:13-15).

He concludes this section by declaring, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). As we go through each day – whether it’s at work, interacting with neighbors, attending a school PTA meeting, even at the local mall – we should never forget that we are ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:23 offers this motivation: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Like most writers, many times I don’t receive a lot of feedback on what I write, whether it’s a book, an article, or one of these blog posts. It’s not uncommon for any writer to wonder, “Why am I doing this? Does anyone care? Is it making any difference?”

For me, it’s important to keep in the forefront of my mind that I’m compelled by Christ’s love for me, along with the love He’s given me for others, as well as the awareness that ultimately whatever I do is for an audience of One. Then I have the clear answer for the “why” of what I do, along with being assured as the Lord is guiding me, I’m making a difference in one way or another.

This understanding should serve as strong, unwavering motivation for us all. Even in times of uncertainty or discouragement, we have the assurance to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).