Shower Power

 

A

t the end of a long, grueling day, there is nothing better than a long, hot, relaxing shower.  Whatever the problems, whatever the tensions, whatever the crises of the day, they quickly dissolve and melt away.  In fact, very few difficulties in life are any match for a good shower.   

 

In the men's dorm at Southwestern Seminary, this theory was put to the test several times a day.  Although there were six showers on our floor, only one enjoyed the notoriety of being "the best shower on the hall."  Guys lined up just to use this particular shower and they waited, sometimes up to an hour, to use it, especially if the day had been overbearing.  Personally, I believed this shower to be the best in the dorm.  If there were an Olympic category for showers, this one would have received a perfect ten every time!! 

 

Now, there was nothing fancy about this shower.  It was not made of gold, there was not a lot of standing room, and it didn’t have three hundred different settings to adjust the water flow.  But if you were looking for a hot shower, with plenty of water pressure, this was the shower for you.  This shower only did one thing, and it did it very well.  That is why it was so popular with everyone on my floor.  They knew what to expect from this shower and they were never disappointed.  No matter what day of the week, no matter what time of the day, the shower remained faithful, giving consistent service on a non-stop basis.  It was always ready to serve day or night, week in and week out. 

 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2).  Here, in one concise statement, the Apostle Paul has summed up the requirement for Christian service.  That one requirement is faithfulness.  Notice that Paul uses the word requirement.  Faithfulness is not a suggestion, it is not something we do if we get around to it, and it is definitely not an option.  No, it is the defining characteristic of the Christian life.   

 

I have thought about this passage of scripture several times and one word haunts my thoughts and convicts me repeatedly.  That word is found!!  In order to find something, we must be looking for it. Moreover, we must know what we are looking for and be able to recognize it when we see it.  In this scripture, God Himself is looking, searching for the quality of faithfulness in our lives.  What a sobering thought!!  When God looks at my life, when He searches my thoughts and intentions, does He find me faithful to Him?  Are my words, actions, thoughts, and motives faithful to God?  Do they serve Him or me?  Is there any evidence in my life of faithfulness to God or is there more evidence of faithfulness to me, to my wants, to my ambitions, and to my agenda? 

 

Lastly, the word found means that at any moment someone could stumble into our lives and find us faithful.  Faithfulness, therefore, must be a way of life.  It cannot be something we put on in the morning and take off in the evening.  It must be a part of our lives, totally inseparable from us.  It must be the defining hallmark of our walk with God.  When this becomes true, people will know it.  The evidence of our faithfulness will give those around us every reason to believe God's word is true because they will see it at work in our lives.  Like the shower in the dorm, our service will be reliable.  We will be ready at any moment and in any circumstance to share God's truth on a consistent basis? Nothing fancy, nothing ornate, just consistent service when it’s needed, where it’s needed, every time it’s needed.