1 Peter 2:9-25

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light… For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:” (1 Peter 2:9, 15)

The title of this devotion series is “Faithful in the Back Seat.” What was the driving force, or what was the motivation of the following examples of those who were in the “back seat”; and yet they followed God, and served God daily?

1. Gideon; he took 300 men and defeated thousands (Judges 6, 7, and 8).
2. Abigail; who stood in the wisdom of God between a foolish husband and a foolish-acting king (King David). God blessed her words and actions; and she was rid of Nabal and became David’s wife (1 Samuel 25:1-42).
3. The servant girl of Naaman, the Assyrian General; she told her mistress how and where Naaman, the leper, her mistress’ husband, could be healed of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:2-3).
4. The servant in Elijah’s day, Obadiah; he saved 100 prophets by hiding them from Jezebel’s fury, and by feeding them (1 Kings 18:3-4, 7, 12-13).
5. The servant who was in Jezebel’s house for 20 years; when called on, he threw her out the window for Jehu to crush with his chariot (2 Kings 9:32-33).
6. Jael; who drove the spike in Sisera’s temples, thus killing the general who had oppressed Israel for 20 years under King Jabin’s rule (Judges 4:18-22).
7. The man who owned the donkey for Christ to ride into Jerusalem as King of the Jews (Matthew 21:2-7; Mark 11:2-7; Luke 19:30-35).
8. The man who prepared the Upper Room for the Last Supper for Christ and His Apostles (Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:8-13).
9. Andrew, who went to get Simon Peter and “brought him to Jesus” (John 1:40-42).
10. Jonathan, behind David (1 Samuel 18, 19, 20, 23).
11. Amos, a herdman and a fruit gatherer (Amos 7:14).
12. Elisha, a farmer (1 Kings 19:19).
13. The Apostles were fishermen and uneducated men (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-19).
14. Anna and Simeon (Luke 2:25-38).
15. Rahab, the harlot; she spared the spies, and later she and her entire house were saved from destruction during Israel’s invasion of Jericho (Joshua 2 and 6).

These and many others mentioned in the Bible (Hebrews 11:32-38) were listed as faithful men and women. They were not in the limelight, and yet they moved in faith; many even to the giving of their lives.

The converted Child of God must not only answer these questions:

1. Who God is?
2. Who he is?
3. What is his job assignment?
4. Where is he to perform his duties?
5. How is he to perform his duties?

In Christ’s Power

In Christ’s Will (in love and sanctification)

In Well Doing (as a “doer” of the word, and not just a hearer only)

And he must not only be a “hearer” of God’s Word – but he must be a “doer” (James 1:22). He must do “good works” or be one of “well doing.” He must put feet on his knowledge. He must actually put his feet down in the River Jordan, if he is to ever experience the Power of God to Perform the Works of God and to enjoy his inheritance.

The Apostle James makes it very plain in James 2:14-26; that faith without works is a dead faith. A faith that is alive and well bears fruit, or works, of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). As it was in Rahab the harlot’s life.

Rahab had a choice to make. She could receive the spies; hide them to spare them; lie to the king; make confession of Israel’s God, of His Power, and on whose side she was, by her works; and thereby be saved in the hour of battle. Or she could have done just the opposite of what she did: turn in the spies, side with the king, and then be destroyed.

Every believer, regardless of his or her situation or position in life, makes a choice daily of Deuteronomy 30:19-20:

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

The commitment and obedience must be:

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Life and death are before us daily; do we choose to do as Rahab and live; or do we rebel and be destroyed as Achan (Joshua 6 and 7)?

Many of God’s converted children make excuses as to why they can’t go. They say they are limited in their talents or limited by their position in life, they are poor, or base, or common, etc. However, the problems are:

1. Their excuses are founded in unbelief in God to carry out His Promises.
2. Their excuses are founded in the thinking of the flesh.
3. They are discarding the Power of God that lives within them.
4. They are forgetting that it is by God’s sufficiency, and not their own, that they perform God’s Calling and Commandments.
5. It means that the believer is trying to walk by sight and not by Faith (or by Christ).

The converted Child of God has no excuse, because of God’s Process of Identification to him of:

1. Who God is
2. Who he is
3. What his duties are
4. Where he is to serve
5. How he is to serve:

In Christ’s Power

In Christ’s Will (in love and sanctification)

In Well Doing (as a “doer” of the word, and not just a hearer only)

God has taught him (the new convert) by the Spirit, revealing His Word to him (John 14:21-25; 1 John 2:20, 27); and revealing the Power that lives within him. The Victory is already secured by Christ, in which he (the new convert) lives and abides (1 John 5:4).

Therefore, there is no excuse. Which will it be? Will it be life, preservation in this temporal, everyday life on earth? Or will it be death, a loss of power, blessings, and maybe even the loss of your temporal life; that is, be destroyed in the flesh, that ye might be saved in the Day of the Lord?

Will you be faithful, as Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Barak, Gideon, Abigail, Obadiah, Jael, Rahab, and a host of others listed in Hebrews 11:32-38 and throughout the Scriptures; those men and women who were faithful in the back seat? Those who were counted by this world as nobodies, even a harlot – but were mightily used of God in faith.

Reader, you may have been trained and fitted as only one person to stand for Jesus as Rahab was; as John the Baptist was (only six month and he died). But that one event that you have been created for, conformed to His image in the Potter’s House for, is now – stand up and be counted, as a servant, or even as an inmate, for the Testimony of Jesus Christ.

I heard a man once say, “You have not been called of God to be successful, but faithful” (Anonymous). That is, not called to be successful in the things of this world.

But Joshua outlines the story of success for the converted Child of God in the spiritual things of God. As God told Joshua how to “do” for Him and to be successful in his calling:

“Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,” (Joshua 1:1)

“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” (Joshua 1:2)

“Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.” (Joshua 1:3)

“From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.” (Joshua 1:4)

“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Joshua 1:5)

“Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:6)

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:7)

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

What God requires is:

“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,” (Deuteronomy 10:12)

“To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” (Deuteronomy 10:13)

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

This is restated by Christ:

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

“This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:38)

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39)

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:40)

Therefore, what we do is walk in the Love of God (John 13:34-35). Then, and only then, do you prove you are Faithful in the Back Seat.