failure to launch

Proverbs Day 269 (KJV):

Proverbs 25:13 (KJV):
13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

Proverbs 25:13 (AMP):
13 Like the cold of snow (brought from the mountains) in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the life of his masters.

This verse from Proverbs expresses how it feels to someone when a faithful messenger delivers the message sent by him and compares it to the end of harvest time. In Bible days messages were sent by "runners" on foot or riders by horseback. These couriers had to be persistent and faithful to overcome all the obstacles they faced in order to get their messages through. They were, many times, hindered by inclement weather, bandits by the wayside, darkness of night, sickness in body, and weariness of the journey. It really did take a faithful messenger to get the job done. Masters who had this type of servant were truly refreshed in their souls when they knew important messages got through and the messenger returned with a reply.

The verse in today's study compares it to the end of harvest time which brought great relief to the farmer. When the cold weather arrived with its snow, it definitely marked the end of the harvest season. By then, the farmer could rest knowing that the crops were in the barn, and the land had been made ready to lie fallow over the winter. They could now enter a refreshing time after all their toil through the growing season. This same feeling is used to express how the master would feel when his faithful messenger accomplished his mission.

Faithfulness is a virtue that so many lack today, as we are witnessing mates who are unfaithful to their partners, employees and employers unfaithful to one another, families who undermine each other, and people who no longer keep their word. As Christians, we are called to be faithful in all of our ways, even as our Lord was faithful. We need to operate in integrity in all we do, and be a good example to all who know us. We could start with being faithful to keep our word.

As the moral climate of our society has been deteriorating, lying has become a major problem. The business world is particularly plagued by this problem--men’s dishonesty with each other, meetings "forgotten," company theft, promises not kept, contracts broken, etc. Lawyers have increased in numbers over the last decade, mainly because of irresponsibility and broken contracts among men due to lying. What constitutes a lie according to the Bible? Anything that is not the truth, is a lie; and God’s Word, the Bible, tells us what is truth. The Bible is the standard or measuring rod we must use in determining truth.

Sadly, Christians are also succumbing to this epidemic of lying. Lying to each other has now become so commonplace, that Christians too, have become liars and have become unfaithful in their dealings with others. Each of us have had our trust in people undermined, or in some cases even destroyed because of lies. We would all agree that lying is an ugly evil. The Bible is filled with admonitions against being unfaithful and lying. One of the Ten Commandments states:

Exodus 20:16:

One of the biggest faults of many Christians, and our society as well, is that we tend to over-commit and then we are unable to keep our word. It is disheartening to see this shift prevalent in businesses. They commit to the jobs, but are unable to produce them on time. Thus, the standard for business practices is shifting to not expecting things to be completed on time. Business people must now factor in lengthy time delays just to compensate for people’s lack of business ethics.

People who tend to over-commit sometimes have a pride problem and are people pleasers. They want people to like them so they offer to do things for them. Because they are over-extended, they are often unable to keep their all promises; thus they become dishonest. In business it is usually greed that tends to cause them to over-commit. They want more business and more money, even when they must work from a backlog that was promised timely.

Jesus always kept His Word. God still keeps His Word and is faithful to keep every promise He makes in the Bible. That is why He is reliable and we can trust Him. We are called to be like Him. We can be overcomers through the power of the Holy Spirit and become a faithful witness for our Lord.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for allowing me to know many faithful people. It is certainly refreshing to be acquainted with those who are trustworthy and honest. Lord, also help me to be an example of one who is faithful and steadfast in God. Lord, I do want to walk in integrity, so please remind me when I forget anything that I have promised to someone. Help me not to over-commit, and Lord, not only do I not want to be a liar, but I also do not want to fail in keeping my word in any way. I want people to know that I am honest, faithful and trustworthy. Empower me to do this. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.