Diligently Faithful — Lloyd Brubacker

I really like that song.

It shows the enthusiasm, kind of echoes what Robert had, maybe a little bit of enthusiasm. We could stand and pray. Father we thank you for this day, time together. Thank you for the things we heard this morning, help us to consider in our lives the things that could be a hindrance to you, just help us be faithful in all that we do.

Pray for all the brothers and sisters here and the ones that are not here and the ones scattered abroad that we could endure to the end. Pray that the rest of the day could be edifying. Jesus name, amen.

Yeah I appreciate the opening Daniel, it's thought provoking. I have these thoughts that pop in my mind as people share things and if I do not write them down I'll forget them and then by the time I'm up here or ready to speak or something I'm not sure what they were.

But I'll try to, so Daniel talked about things maybe that could be possibly in the way or just the question of why things seem more dull or can seem more dull in life. The thing I was planning on talking about the subject this morning is faithfulness and diligence and I figured that it seems like it could tie in pretty well with what Daniel shared as beyond this point as we go on are we faithful in our prayer life, are we faithful with our thoughts, are we faithful in the things that we do.

Diligence and Faithfulness in the Christian Walk

So diligence and faithfulness, they're fairly similar but there's a difference. Diligence would be characterized as a steady, earnest or energetic effort and faithfulness is more loyal, constant and steadfast.

So I was thinking that we want to be diligently faithful because you can be faithful, say in an earthly sense. You can show up to the job every day but you may not have the, you might be kind of grumpy but you still show up, you're faithful and coming but you're not earnest or energetic about the job.

It could also pull over in the spiritual side of things. I wasn't exactly sure what to talk about this week. I really didn't have any topic that I had consolidated enough to talk about in my mind but there's this one person that said usually the best thing to talk about are the things that you're working on in life so one thing I'm trying to work on in life is faithfulness and diligence.

So I just thought I'd talk about that. I guess the first, I will look at some verses of faithfulness and diligence and then the inverse of that, of unfaithfulness and negligence I guess, slack, slacker, that would be the opposite of that but first let's look at, let's look at diligence and faithfulness.

I'll kind of mix them together. So Deuteronomy 6, 6 -8. This is a verse that has been challenging. It kind of ties into a few verses. It's what Daniel's saying a little bit on what do you think about first thing in the morning or before you go to bed or during the day.

6, 6 -8. These words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk to them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.

You shall bind them as you sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. Is there another word for frontals? Is there any version that puts a different word there? Okay, the next one, I'll just have several verses I'll go through here.

The next one would be in Deuteronomy 7, verse 9. Know the Lord, know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

I'd like to note there what said there to the children of Israel is also repeated in almost the same words Jesus says in John 14, verse 21. He says, He who keeps my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me and He loves, He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love Him and I will disclose myself to Him.

Joshua's farewell speech before he passed away, he was giving a speech. He said, so take diligent heed to yourself to love the Lord your God. He goes, then he goes on to tell them what would happen if they would not, but diligent to think about, give earnest heed, give energetic effort to love the Lord your God.

Psalms 37, verse 3, trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. I just thought that's interesting, cultivate faithfulness. Psalms 89, verse 1, I will sing of thy loving kindness of the Lord forever, I will sing of the loving kindness of the Lord forever to all generations, I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.

Psalms 119, 3 through 5, they also do no unrighteousness, they walk in His ways. You have ordained your precepts that we should keep them diligently, oh that my ways may be established to keep your statutes.

I find a lot of the spirit that David had just applies so well to following Jesus in the way that we're supposed to earnestly and faithfully seek Him, obey Him. Proverbs 10, verse 4, poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 12, 22, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight. Proverbs 13, verse 4, the soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.

Proverbs 13, 24, he who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently. Proverbs 21, 5, the plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

Proverbs 25, 13, like the cold of a snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his master. I was trying to think what cold snow in the harvest time, I'm assuming it means it was hot and dry and there's just a little bit of cold snow, I'm not sure if anybody else has a better idea of why cold snow in the harvest, because usually you don't really want your corn and stuff to get moisture before you harvest it, but maybe it's just a refreshing thing, that's what he's talking about.

Proverbs 27, 6, faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. Wounds, I guess could also be corrections, what would be another word for that, I guess I'm paraphrasing, but faithful are the rebukes of a friend, I don't think he's literally meaning that a friend comes and hits you with something.

Isaiah 26, 9, at night my soul longs for you, there you go Daniel, at night my soul longs for you. Indeed my spirit within me seeks you diligently, for when the earth experiences your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Daniel’s Faithfulness and Other Old Testament Examples

Now we know Daniel and his three friends were faithful, Daniel, I'll read a part about Daniel though, Daniel 6, 3 -5, then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and the satraps, because he possessed an extraordinary spirit and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.

Then the commissioners and the satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs, I think they were jealous, maybe it doesn't mention it here in the quote I got, but they didn't want Daniel to be promoted.

But they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption inasmuch as he was faithful and no negligence or corruption was to be found on him. Then these men said, we will not find any ground of accusation against Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.

In other words, we won't find anything against him unless it is the faith he has, the faithfulness he has to that. Can anyone else think of anybody that was diligent in the Old Testament? I'm sure there's a bunch.

Nehemiah, Noah, yeah. I had written down a few people, Noah was one of them, Joseph, Joshua, Job, Deborah, Esther, Prophet Samuel, King David, a lot of those we know, and I was wondering if there's any that we do not know, at least ones I didn't know.

I didn't remember this even though I think I heard of this person before, but does anybody know who Jehoshua was? She would have been the person that saved King Joash when Athaliah, the mother, after Jehu had come in and killed off most of the people, the sons of Ahab, she got mad.

She would have been the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Anyways, her brother Ahaziah saw, when she saw that, when Athaliah saw that Ahaziah, that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed, sorry this is 2 Kings 11, 1 -3, she destroyed all the offspring, all the royal offspring, but Jehoshua, the daughter of King Jerom, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons, who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in a bedroom.

So they hid him from Athaliah and he was not put to death. Anyways, so he was hidden until he was 7 years old. I guess he was 1 when she took him, so 6 years. This was not just something small, if that queen would have found out what she had done, I'm sure she would have been put to death.

So I just thought it was interesting. Do you know who her husband was? I didn't know this either, but Jeholiada, Jeholiada, the priest that then brought Joash into the throne and told the people how to go about it, the soldiers and stuff, he was her husband.

I didn't know that. Let's go to the New Testament now, about faithfulness. I don't know if any of you remember, but in 2019, I had an opening on faithfulness. I was just looking at it. Some of this might be a little bit of a repeat, but I might just go on here.

God’s Faithfulness and the Believer’s Diligence

1 Corinthians 1, 4 -9. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. One thing I wanted to point out in the New Testament, I guess even in the Old Testament, a lot of the references to faithfulness is often to God and his faithfulness to us.

So when Paul is talking about here in Corinthians, to the Corinthians, he says God is faithful and then in 1 Corinthians 10, 13, says no temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to men and God is faithful.

He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will provide a way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Ephesians 4, 2 to 4, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. Be diligent, there's that word again, to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. I don't think people were any different back then than they are now, there's just so many things that can come in between and opinions and whatever else, that just tend to divide.

So Paul is just making a point here, be diligent to preserve this unity. 1 Thessalonians 5, 12, but we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord, and give you instruction.

I think here he's talking about the elders of the church, but this goes for anyone that we appreciate the people that are diligent. 2 Timothy 2, 15, be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman, who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Hebrews 4, 11, therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 10, 23, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

I found that encouraging. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, and then he ends it with that, that God is faithful, like this hope is not going to go, turn into something that we regret. 2 Peter 3, 13 -15, but according to his promise we are looking for a new heaven and new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you.

Maybe someone has a thought on, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. I thought maybe he's talking about the fact that God waits on coming back, but I'm not sure, so maybe someone has a thought on that.

And then in Revelations, Jesus is talking to the church of Smyrna. Revelations 2, 10, do not fear what you're about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days, but be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The Cost of Unfaithfulness and Negligence

Now, the opposite of faithfulness is obviously unfaithfulness, and the opposite of diligence would be negligence or a slacker, or slack. So I'll try to look at some of that, some of those verses. I didn't copy down as many maybe, but the first people in the Bible to be unfaithful, unfaithful to God were Adam and Eve, which brought mortality to the human race.

So the first unfaithfulness brought death to our human race. Unfaithfulness to God has always cost people more than they could pay. Unfaithfulness was so great that God had to wipe out everyone with a flood, except Noah and his family.

Since then, kingdoms have been demolished. People have met their demise in many different forms, and ultimately on the final judgment day, unfaithfulness will meet its eternal end. Now there was a lot through the kings, maybe chronicles, I'm not sure, just where people were unfaithful, the children of Israel.

But I found this Psalm 78, 8 through 38, kind of covers a lot of that, as far as the children of Israel and their unfaithfulness, even before, I guess, the kings. This would be back in the time of Egypt even, or just after Egypt.

So I'll read that. Psalm 78, 8 through 38. Let's be very diligent not to repeat their mistake. It also shows, hold on, sorry, I messed up there. Let's be very diligent not to repeat the mistake that they made.

And at the end of this, it also shows the mercy of God. I thought that was worth pointing out. A stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in His law. They forgot His deeds and His mercies, His miracles that He had shown them.

He wrought wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt and the field of Zion. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through. And He made the water stand up like a heap. Then He led them with a cloud by day and all the night with a light of fire.

He split the rocks in the wilderness. He gave them abundant drink like the ocean's depths. He brought forth streams also from the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers. Yet they still continued to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.

And in their heart, they put God to the test by asking food according to their desire. Then they spoke against God. They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams were overflowing.

Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people? Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath. And a fire kindled against Jacob. And anger was mounted against Israel because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation.

Yet He commanded the cloud above and opened the doors of heaven. He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven. Man did eat the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens.

And by His power, He directed the south wind. He rained meat upon them like the dust, even winged fowl, like the sand of the seas. Then He let them fall in the midst of the camp, round about their dwellings.

So they ate and were filled, and their desire He gave to them. Before they had satisfied their desire while the food was still in their mouth, the anger of God rose against them. And He killed some of their stoutest ones and subdued the choice men of Israel.

In spite of all this, they still sinned and did not believe in His wonderful works. So He brought their days to an end in futility. And their years in sudden terror. When He killed them, then they sought Him and returned and searched diligently for God.

And they remembered that God was their rock and the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant.

But He, being passionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. And often He restrained His anger and did not arouse all His wrath. I'm sure some of us, God had to do that. For sure me, where He had to restrain His anger.

King Ahaz, 2 Chronicles 28, 16 -23. He was unfaithful. At the time of King Ahaz, sent to the king of Assyria for help. For again the Edomites, now this would be the descendants of Esau, from what I understand.

So Jacob's brother, had come and attacked Judah and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland. And of the Negev of Judah. And had taken Beth Shemesh, Al-Jalan, Gederath, and Soko with its villages.

Timnath with its villages and Gimzo with its villages and settled there. For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz, king of Israel. For he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord.

So Tiglath-Pileser, I looked up, he would be Tiglath-Pileser III. So there was like three kings before him in Assyria. Anyways, king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him.

Responding to God’s Word With Obedience

I don't remember who mentioned about the Indian with the two dogs inside of him. I think it was two dogs, was that you buddy? Indian. Was it Dwayne? Anyways, I was thinking unfaithfulness and faithfulness kind of rolls the same way.

If we feed unfaithfulness, it will just get stronger. If we are faithful, it will get stronger. In Jeremiah 42, 1 -6, there's these people and children of Israel that came to Jeremiah and said, Please let our petition come before you and pray for us to the Lord your God.

That is for all this remnant. Because we are left but a few out of many. As your own eyes now see, that the Lord our God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do. Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have heard you.

Behold, I am going to pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words. And I will tell you the whole message which the Lord will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message which the Lord your God will send you to us.

Whether it be pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you. So that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God. The reason I put that in, I just found it very interesting.

Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. Sometimes the things that are right to do are unpleasant to the flesh. Anyways, let's be like those people. Proverbs, that's not quite going with the flow of everything about negligence or unfaithfulness, but I thought I'd throw that in.

Proverbs 15 .32. He who neglects discipline despises himself. But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. Matthew 23 .23. Do you know what it is, Robert? It is woe to you is how it starts. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

For you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness. But these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Mark 7 .6 -8. Or part of 6 This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching the doctrines and precepts of men, neglecting the commandment of God.

You hold to the traditions of men. Hebrews 2 .2 -42. Sorry, I typed that wrong. 2 -4. For the word spoken through the angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty.

How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both in signs and wonders and by various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

Examining Personal Faithfulness

I thought I'd like to touch on a few things that are a little more closer home to us. A lot of these things are written down. Some of them may be inspirational. Others may not be as much. But I just wanted to ask questions, some questions.

And these questions first apply to me. It's something that I'm trying to work on in my life. But I'd just like to ask these questions with faithfulness in mind. Have you been faithful to Christ this week?

Are you earnest about obeying Him or diligent? What about the opportunities that are put into our path? Do we take them? Are you faithful with your words? When you tell your children that you would do something, do you do it?

That's something that I think it's just a challenge if someone, a child comes up and asks if you can do something and then you're busy at the moment and then it's easy just to forget and you say, yes, I'll do it, but it doesn't happen.

That was what I had in mind. What about your brothers and sisters? Do we keep our word or do we let it blow away on the wind? Is your yes, yes, and your no, no? Are you on time when you tell someone that you will be there?

When you recount a story or something that took place, are you faithful to accurately relay it? Or do you add a little, maybe just a little? What about in our personal life? Maybe we need, this is one for me, schedule.

It's a hard thing to keep, to stick to a plan that I put out. Are we faithful to stick to our plans? What about eating too much? Are we faithful in controlling our appetite? Are you faithful with your eyes and thoughts?

What about the things that you search online? Are they worthy? In closing, I would like to read Matthew 25, 14 through 46. And this is about the servants. Two of them, I guess, were faithful and the other one was not.

The Parable of the Talents and the Final Judgment

And then about the Judgment Day. For it is just like a man about to go... I think he had asked what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. For it is just like a man about to go on a journey who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

To one he gave five talents, to another two and to another one, each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. Immediately, one who had received five talents went and traded with him and gained five more talents.

In the same manner, the one who had received two talents gained two more. But the one who received one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

The one who had received five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, Master, you entrusted five talents to me. Look, I have gained five more talents. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave.

You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master. Also, the one who had received two talents came up and said, Master, you entrusted two talents to me.

See, I have gained two more talents. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.

And the one also who had received one talent came up and said, Master, I knew that you had to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, gathering where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid and went away and hid your talent in the ground.

See, I have what is yours. But his master answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy slave. You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.

Therefore, take away the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given and he will have in abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

Throw out the worthless slave into outer darkness. In that place where weeping, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And then he gives him an account of how the judgment day is going to be. And I wanted to point out, he gives us some things in there that we can be faithful with.

So, the righteous people were faithful with these things and the unrighteous people were not. Then the king, But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

All the nations will be gathered before Him and He will separate them one from another. As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep on the right and the goats on the left.

Then the king will say to those on the right, Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. Naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. The righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?

Or thirsty and give you something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger and invite you in? Or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? The king will answer and say to them, Surely, or truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.

Then he will say to those on the left, Depart from me, accursed ones, into eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.

I was a stranger and you did not invite me in. Naked and you did not clothe me. Sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they themselves also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?

Then he will answer them, Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

It's a pretty weighty thing he says there. I guess that was part of the closing, but I just want us to remember that the things that we may overlook as trivial in our life, small things that may not seem that big, are the very things that make us who we are.

Just like small particles of sand is what makes a beach. I'll just leave with the words of Jesus in Luke 16 .10. He who is faithful in very little, a very little thing is faithful also in much. And he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much.

That's all I have.

Corrections or comments? I thought of, as far as you had asked about faithful men, there was a man in the Old Testament who said he said he would sacrifice the first thing he saw when he got home. And then even though it was his own child, he still sacrificed his daughter.

Then I thought of David, his dealings with Saul, just how very difficult it was, and yet I'm pretty sure he has a perfect testimony of being perfectly faithful to Saul in all those situations. Really he was being faithful to Jehovah, but he knew God's will about respecting the person in Saul's position.

He would not let go. Oh, it just seems like human existence goes in cycles. It's not just like this big Most of our experiences are not something to start out a certain way and remain that way or start out a certain way and just continually grow or continually diminish, but rather continually go through cycles or maybe waves where there's like something is maybe there's like a saving up and then a spending or a building up and then a release and then you save up again for the next thing or I think there's a Dwayne, I want to look at you.

It seems like you know a little bit about Pilgrim's Progress. Is there this principle where like sometimes he can't see sometimes he can't see the destination and then and then he'll see it and be like, okay, I'm on the right course and and reset his reset his course and maintain it even though he can't see the destination.

Does that principle get. Yeah. Yeah. Well, maybe what I was thinking of something a little different where like the destination can't be seen but but last time I saw it I know it was over there. So I'm just even though I can't see it I'm going to keep going this direction or I feel like that's something that happens in life like you can see something really clearly and then later on you can't see it as clearly but but you just continue with what you Lloyd was talking about following through with your plans.

The messages went really well together. I kind of have a hard time distinguishing the difference or how that they weren't like part one and two of the a lot of the same principles but so I think like the the Prince like the whole thing about enduring to the end or like how the sower sowed seeds and some some made it all the way to bearing fruit like the I'm kind of addressing some of the questions you asked Daniel like one of the tests of faith is do we just continue with those things that we know are right even when they don't feel like they felt once if it if it just always if it was always as easy and exciting as it was in the beginning like well who wouldn't be faithful but it's just not I think I think it's kind of implied like it's just not always like that I think there's multiple facets like there's some parts that aren't like that and then but but then I also consider like I've seen okay hang on sorry and and then I think like I can relate to looking back and seeing seeing a zeal in in the beginning of my at the beginning of my repentance but but then but then like balance that out with like somebody in my somebody that was in that currently would be in that state might look at us look at one of us and be like oh you you are just you're perfect you you all you do is think about God.

All everything you do is all devoted to God everywhere you go all your words like wow you're just like you've arrived and we know we haven't and yet to that person that we were in a lot of ways we'd look at at where we are now and be just like oh you are just the most radical devoted sold-out person I've ever seen or heard of.

They'd marvel at us and we'd. So I like just to balance that out like and then and then also say like I think people can I think people can focus on that too much they can recognize like I don't go the places I used to go I don't do the things I used to do.

I not not only am I not not only have I not only have I given my life to God but I've given my life to God in lots of really radical ways that most Christians don't and then and just be like yeah I'm a radical Christian and here I am and and lose lose that precious thing that I think you are expressing of just like recognizing like your need our need we have not arrived he has not returned yet.

There is much to do. We have to remain diligent to be found faithful. When he comes though though there's lots of big changes that we've made and obvious directions that we've gone that I think like Max was talking about that create create this really this thing that's easy to see from the outside.