Faithful

"Samuel said: 'Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.' 'You have not cheated or oppressed us,' they replied. "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand.'"--1Samuel 12.1a,3-4
My devotional recommended this Scripture reading to me this morning. And at first, I have to admit, I was a little stumped. I even went back and double checked the book, chapter, and verses. But then, the Lord began to speak to my heart about these verses. This is part of the ancient prophet, Samuel's, farewell speech to Israel, God's chosen people. He knows that his days are numbered. And he takes the time to make a very interesting statement. He asks the gathered body of Israel to consider if he has taken anyone's property, cheated anyone, oppressed anyone, or accepted a bribe. Why does he ask this? Because this is the sort of thing a FALSE prophet does.
Samuel does not have to worry, though. His conscience is clear. His faithfulness is complete. He has been a good and worthy servant of the Lord.
This passage got me to thinking today about our conscience. Can we stand blameless before the Lord? Have we been completely faithful? Have we been completely honest in all our dealings with others?
When I think about those questions I hear another word, "perfection." Have I reached perfection yet? Not even close. Oh, I suppose I've done a lot of good things. I could possibly make the argument that 98% of the time, I do the right thing, I show the love of Christ in my dealings. But what about that other 2% of the time? Who do I hurt by my lack of grace? I am still "a man in need of a Savior."
I suppose that most of us are "good" people. We don't steal. We haven't murdered anyone. But this Scripture reminds me that we are called to be faithful not just in the "big" things (don't steal, don't murder, etc.) but also in the little things. The one who is faithful in the little things will be faithful in the big things.
I invite you to examine your conscience today. Is there something, some action, some attitude, that you need to turn away from? If so, I invite you to come to the One with mercy and forgiveness in His hands, that same Jesus Christ. I also invite you to surrender your life to Christ today that you may He may help you be faithful and one day hear those words, "Good and faithful servant!"