Ordinary faithfulness

We live in days when much of the news seems to be dominated by “big men” – men of power, men with egos, men with weapons; men who strut around the world stage, seeking to impose their will on others. It is not necessary to name any names – we all know who they are.

It is therefore heartening to be reminded of other people – ordinary men, ordinary women – who, unlike those “big men”, live lives that reflect the character and faithfulness of Christ.

On page ten of the May print issue (see online version here), we report on the faithful work of Paul Olise, an evangelist with Birmingham City Mission who has retired after 43 years of devoted service with the organisation. Having only originally intended to stay for a year, he never left!

Alongside him, we carry the news of the death of Albert N. Martin, a man whose preaching impacted many. Elsewhere on the page, the faithfulness of others in their different ways is reported.

Such people do not seek to change the world through wars or weapons, nor through the projection of their own personality. Instead, they quietly follow Christ in the humble furrows where he would have them plough, sowing as best they can and leaving the results up to God.

In an article entitled The Unique Joy of Ordinary Faithfulness, US author Chris Martin wrote: “It is easy to feel ashamed for living a ‘boring’ life of faithfulness to an ancient God, a life defined by a quiet pursuit of holiness and humility. But we shouldn’t feel discouraged by our ordinary lives of faithfulness, for the fruit of our ordinary faithfulness in this temporary life is everlasting joy.

“In Jesus’s parable of the talents, the master says to his servant: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’ (Matt. 25v21). May God make us content living ordinary lives of faithfulness.”