The Only Consistency in My Life is inconsistency

The Handbook of Bible Application In What Areas of Life Is Consistency Important?

God expects consistent obedience. Consider the difference between the last judge of Israel and its first king. Saul, the king, was characterized by inconsistency, disobedience, and self-will. He did not have a heart for God. Samuel, the judge, was characterized by consistency, obedience, and a deep desire for God’s will. He had a genuine desire for God.

When God called Samuel, he said, “Yes, I’m listening” (3:9). But when God, through Samuel, called Saul, he replied, “You must have the wrong man!” (9:21). Saul was dedicated to himself; Samuel was dedicated to God.

Matthew 16:24 NIV84

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Consistency means following Jesus

Consistent Christians

I was getting ready to do some research for my weekly sermon so I entered my office and flipped the light switch to the "on" position. It seemed that as soon as I had touched the toggle there was an instantaneous burst of bright light from the light bulb for a millionth of a second and then utter darkness. I had just experienced that light bulb's last bit of life.

We always expect that at the moment we throw a light switch that it is accompanied by a burst of light. But we also anticipate that the bulb will continue to glow and emit its brilliance throughout the room in which we are entering. We desire for our lives to be illuminated consistently with the flip of a toggle on the wall or the tug of a string hanging from the ceiling. We dislike those times of inconsistency when a light bulb decides to go out with a blaze of glory and then leave us stranded in the midst of darkness thus leaving us just a tad bit frustrated.

Then there's a desperate scramble that takes place in order to find a replacement bulb so that our darkened world can once again be brightly lit and our lives can move on as planned. But isn't it amazing how a tiny little piece of wire inside the confined space of a light bulb controls our ability or disability to continue our work and/or our times of recreation. Once that filament breaks and the flow of the electrical current passing through it ends, anyone nearby experiences a taste of inconsistency. I guess we could say that in order for our lives to be one of comfort within our homes and workplace, we need a ray of consistent light that seems to make our time pass a little more quickly and our day to be a little more pleasurable.

I find Jesus' word as recorded in Matthew's gospel account encouraging us to be very likeminded in our day-to-day process of spiritual transformation. As we evolve into the person that God desires for us to be, He expects consistency from us. Listen closely to Jesus' hint of our need for spiritual consistency: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." [Matthew 16:24]

Did you hear it? Did you catch that little phrase within Jesus’ statement to his disciples? Were you able to notice His call for us to practice the art of consistency as He spoke those few words, "…take up his cross daily…"?

Those are truly words suggesting consistency. Jesus' desire is not only for us to help to Him in bearing the load, but also to be more consistent in doing so: to continue to do his work peacefully, simply and together. That is stability. It is always being reliable when a need arises within the body of Christ. It's a call to uniformity within the community of faith. But the attitude of having a consistent spirit begins within each one of us that call ourselves a follower of Jesus.

Philippians 3:17–21 NIV84

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

1 John 3:2 NIV84

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

1 Corinthians 15:52 NIV84

in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Consistency means imitating Christ

1 Peter 1:13–16 NIV84

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 NIV84

“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

Consistency means staying on track

CONSISTENT LIFE

I recently heard of four scholars who were arguing over Bible translations. One said he preferred the King James Version because of its beautiful, eloquent old English. Another said he preferred the American Standard Bible for its literalism, the way it moves the reader from passage to passage with confident feelings of accuracy from the original text. A third man preferred Moffatt because of its quaint, penetrating use of words, the turn of a phrase that captures the attention of the reader. After giving the issue further thought, the fourth scholar admitted, "I have personally preferred my mother’s translation.’ When the other scholars chuckled, he responded, "Yes, she translated it. She translated each page of the Bible into life. It is the most convincing translation I ever saw. "

Romans 8:28–30 NIV84

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Consistency means Giving over your agenda for God’s

Romans 12:1–2 NIV84

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So you need to be a Samuel not a Saul. We need to be more than Christian, we need to be Christ-followers.