to finish up with what we started this morning. We're thinking about four ways to respond to disappointment. So we've mentioned that in light of recent events, that this is a time for us to be thinking clearly or thinking with a sober mind that's informed by Scripture, not just from the perspective of trying to find a verse that directly relates whatever the circumstance might be, but even from a perspective of building biblical categories in our thinking and allowing biblical doctrines that we know to shape the way that we interpret things like God's sovereignty, like God's love, like what it means for us to be washed in the blood of Christ and all the benefits that come along with that. And then obviously thinking about What kind of wisdom does the word give us as it relates to interacting with and expressing our responses to disappointments? We also said it's a time for humble reflection, and this is something that we ought to be doing really on a regular basis. That is self-examination, seeing where we have possibly miss the mark and seeing things for hopefully as they are without being fogged by our own desires, our own thoughts, our own self-protection and so forth and so on. And again, in an effort to see things clearly. Then we said it's a time for courage. That is the opposite of discouragement. The time for courage. The courage in a sense of recognizing what God's calling is on our life. Recognizing that in the midst of disappointment and even in the midst of being tempted to be discouraged, that God still has a calling on each and every one of our lives. God still has work for you to be doing in His kingdom. And God still has a place for you to be functioning in His church. And so courage, takes God at His word and continues to move forward even in the face of discouragement. And then the fourth thing we'll mention this afternoon is it's also a time for faithfulness. A time for faithfulness. Now, when we think about faithfulness, and it hasn't been too long ago, maybe a couple of weeks ago, that we were talking about this fruit of the Spirit, we could say a lot. But just really two questions we want to ask here. What does it mean to be faithful to Jesus Christ? What does it mean at this point for us to be faithful, particularly in the context of the church? Well, it means a couple of things. Number one, it means we are interested in knowing what does God have to say to us? We want to know what God has said. You can't be faithful to God's calling on your life and disinterested in what God has to say at the same time. If we're going to be faithful, which really just simply means doing the right thing, fulfilling the calling that we have, and doing it in a consistent manner, if we're going to be faithful to the things that we've been called to, then we must first be instructed in those things. we must have categories in our minds for the roles and responsibilities that God has called us to fill. And faithfulness is not just something as it relates to being a member of a church, although that's obviously an important part, but faithfulness as husbands, wives, parents, children, employees, so forth and so on. It just simply means that in the long haul, we're going to continue to show up And we're going to continue to do the things that need to be done. And we need to be interested in knowing what those are. And those are found in Scripture. We don't get to put together the job description. God has done that for us. It means that we're seeking to cultivate a 1 Samuel 3.9 attitude, which is where Samuel says, Speak, Lord, or thy servant heareth. Lord, tell me what to do. Show me what to do. Might be a better way to say that. Show me what to do in your Word. Show me what you would have me to do as a member, as a fellow believer, as one that you've called out of darkness into light and put into a body and given a gift for edification. Now, part of this, and I'll just kind of plug in what we said last week as far as some of the things we're going to be doing this month, and I'm going to go back over them next week in the morning service, but part of this is really what we're going to be trying to focus on this year as we start to do those weekly emails, which I think are going to begin tomorrow, those weekly emails as we're intentionally praying for a different family in the church every week. Lord, what should we be doing? Well, we know we're called to pray for one another. So if nothing else, which there's more to do than that, but if nothing else, we're set up to intentionally, strategically, thoughtfully make our way through the church role, praying specifically for individuals where they are in their season of life, also having opportunity to try to serve them in some way, whether that's through encouragement or through comfort or some sort of an act of service or whatever. We're going to be praying for them. We're going to be thinking about how we might be able to encourage them and serve them. And as I said last week, you know, just in case we draw a blank, you're going to have access on those emails to this monthly one another focus that is put out for each month where there is the one and others in Scripture categorized for us month by month. And then also, There's a PDF version of this book that will be on the email, 31 Ways to be a One Another Christian. I talked a little bit about it last week. It's really very small, two to three page chapters that take a one another and seeks to explain it, to illustrate it, and then help you apply it. So what does it mean for us to be faithful? Well, it means for us to live out what God has called us to. We've got some very practical prompts for doing that as we begin the new year. Secondly, not only are we interested in what God has called us to do, but it also means, if we're going to be faithful, that once we know what He wants us to do, we intentionally plan to do it. We intentionally plan to do it. Consistency takes planning. If you're going to do anything well and you're going to do it repetitively and you're going to do it consistently, that takes planning. You don't just throw that to the wind and hope that that's going to happen. That's going to be a little different depending on what you're doing and what your role is and how it is you're serving. But I can't imagine Just one aspect of pastoral ministry and the way that I try to serve the church is through preaching and teaching. There's a whole lot of planning that goes into that. It's intentional. I don't just hope I'm going to have something when I get here. Now, there are some people that take that approach. And you can usually tell. because it's not edifying. They don't really fulfill the role that God has given them. They're doing what God has told them to do, but they didn't put any thought or at least the proper thought and planning and intentionality into making sure that they were to the best of their ability. We all have different abilities and gifts and all those kinds of things, but to the best of their ability, serving the Lord at the capacity they had called them to. Well, and this is just an example, and you can apply this to yourself however you want, but I already know. I mean, when Sunday ends, when we go home, I don't do a lot of reflecting on how did Sunday go. It went how it went. If I get some feedback, I'll consider it, and that's fine, but that was that. 150 sermons this year, all of them were not home runs, and that's okay. So it's time to start thinking about Wednesday. Wednesday's coming up. And so what am I going to do to make sure that I have something prepared to where I can stand before God with a clear conscience and say, Lord, I have tried to faithfully serve You in the capacity that You've placed me in, and also tried to faithfully serve the church that you've given me. I have plans. I don't always hit every minute of those plans, depending on the providential interruptions that happen in the week and things that happen that are not foreseen. But regardless, I've got a plan to get that done. And same thing, after Wednesday, I'm not sitting around thinking, how did Wednesday go? Sunday's coming. And so I've got a plan. This is what I'm going to be focused on. So that's just one example. There's plenty of other things that I do, plenty of other things that you're called to do. And the point that I'm making is, if you're going to do them well, you've got to be thoughtful about them. You've got to be intentional about them. You've got to plan and be strategic about the way you do them. Funny enough, and maybe this is the same way with everybody, depending on what I'm preaching, at this point, my sermon prep looks almost exactly the same no matter what it is I'm doing. That doesn't mean every single sermon is exactly the same. It just means there's a process that I go through to do it, and that process has been honed, and it's growing and all that, but same thing ought to be applied. How are we going to make it through this year and try to serve every single family in the church. How are you going to make it through this year seeking to consistently pray for and serve as the Lord gives opportunity every family in the church? We'll make it through everybody once. We'll make it through some people twice as it relates to the email. And so I would encourage you, the prompt is good, but it's not going to do much if you don't plan to strategically follow through with what you can do. So the key word is what you can do. It doesn't have to be a big splash. Your goal should not be, I'm going to fix a five-course meal for every family in the church during the week that we're praying for them. You won't do it. That's silly, but that's too much work. It should be realistic. Is it a little note of encouragement? That's doable. Is it a phone call to check in? That's doable. You come up with something, or if not, again, these are very, very practical. Look at the email and you'll get some ideas. But it means that we're trying to obey what the Lord has called us to do. What does it mean to be faithful? Well, it means according to Matthew 6, verse 33, that we are going to seek God's kingdom first. We're going to prioritize His kingdom. We're going to prioritize His church. And if you're here in the afternoon, then I'm preaching to the choir, but it means that your priorities are rearranged as such that this is the most important, as far as reoccurring things, I mean, there are some emergencies that come up, but this is the top priority in my life. not just some sort of an attendance record, but God has connected me to this body. And He's continuing to grow me and grow others through our interaction. And He's called me to come and to worship Him and to edify the saints. And so I want to be here, and I want to prioritize this. Seeking His face in prayer is a priority. I'm praying for the church. I'm praying for the members. I'm praying for the pastor. I'm praying for the Lord to add. I'm praying for the Lord to lead. I'm consistently in prayer because I've made it a priority. Conforming our life to His will. That's our priority. So that as I come and I hear the message and I've been praying that God would use the message in my life, I recognize that as we meet three times a week, it's not simply for entertainment. It's not for a good talk. It's not for a social gathering. This is where the Word is preached and where our hearts are lifted up to praise and song. And the goal there is that God would be worshipped, and in that, as we see His glory more and more, we are transformed from glory to glory, and God is changing us, calling us to conform ourselves to His will. I mentioned this already, but just the priority to encourage one another toward growth and faithfulness. It doesn't take a lot to do that. We're going to be talking about this in some specifics with messages in the coming days, but this is not rocket science to encourage somebody. A lot of times it's just taking the time to say something to somebody. Noticing. Recognizing. Maybe an event in somebody's life, a disposition that's not what it used to be or has been. Or maybe you haven't noticed any of that stuff. The Lord has placed somebody on your heart and on your mind, and you just take the time to open your mouth and speak a word of appreciation, of encouragement. A lot of different ways we can do that. And then the last priority is As far as seeking God's kingdom first, as we're seeking for the church to be edified, we're also seeking to point the dark and dying world to the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So what that means is that the Bible is not just for church talk. This is not just the script that we get together and use and pretend with while we're here. God's Word is applicable and God's Word speaks relevantly into the world that we live in because the world that we live in was created by God. The world that we live in is fallen in sin and a lot of the problems and a lot of the difficulties are a result of that. And so not only while we're assembled here are we trying to make God's kingdom our first priority, but as we are out in the world, as Brother Davis was mentioning, the man that the Lord used in His life during His conversion, we want to make ourselves available and we want the Lord to use us to be able to point people toward and help people move toward the Lord as we are able to articulate what Scripture says, particularly how the Gospel applies to the world that we live in and the situations that people find themselves in. And so, this is what it means for us to be faithful. We're seeking God's kingdom first. We're thinking in specifics about how to do that. We're planning on being intentional about that. And then we're trying to stir one another up to stay in the race. Again, as we think about moving into 2025, just as a whole and in light of previous circumstances or recent circumstances, it's a time for us to be thinking clearly. It is a time for us to be doing humble reflection. It's a time for courage, and it is a time for faithfulness. And so may God bless us as we move into this year to take heed to those four principles. Let's pray. Father, again, we're thankful for Your Word and we're thankful for Your calling on our lives, and we just pray, Father, that we would not leave these obligations, these things that You have called us to do, that we would not leave these up to the instability of our feelings and the instability of what we feel like doing at the time, but that we would be strategic, that we would plan, and that we would be intentional about serving one another in the way that You've called us to. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.