Mice and Men
“But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.”
Today’s Text: Romans 15:22-31 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
“The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley.”
(“The best-laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry.”) — Robert Burns
When Paul wrote this, he had no idea what lay ahead in Jerusalem. Of course, when Paul arrived in Syria on his way to Jerusalem, a prophet named Agabus did tell him that he would be bound and handed over to the Gentiles. Paul responded by saying that he would be willing to die for the name of the Lord (Acts 21:10-14).
Paul’s plan to visit Rome on his way to Spain most definitely went awry. And yet he did make it to Rome, albeit as a prisoner. No one knows whether he made it to Spain or not. There are many good points on both sides of that debate.
But whether Paul made it to Spain or not is not relevant. When I look at Paul’s life, two things stand out: (1) his faith and (2) his faithfulness.
In the ancient world those two things might be counted as one thing. For people in the ancient world, if someone has no faithfulness, it can only mean that they have no faith. Today, we understand faithfulness to mean “the quality of being loyal and steadfast” (OED). But when we unpack the word, the most basic meaning is the quality of being full of faith.
Western philosophy has caused “faith” and “faithfulness” to be related but separate terms. Ancient near-east philosophy considers those terms to be more related than separate; one cannot exist without the other.
Yes, my best-formulated plans will often go awry. But if I am acting in faith (what is called “faithfulness”), I understand, first and foremost, that my plans are in God’s hands. If I am acting in faith, that is the only thing that matters because that is God’s goal for me. And so if I am acting in faith, it doesn’t matter if MY plan comes to fruition or not.
What God wants from me is faithfulness to his word, not a stubborn and prideful determination to execute my plans. Do I ever soften, water down, or even compromise God’s word in my speech and in my deeds for the sake accomplishing my own plans? I have to confess that I have.
But to be faithful to God’s word means to die to my self.
I have been crucified WITH Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith (that is, in faithfulness) in the Son of God, who who loved me and gave himself for me.
— Galatians 2:20
Father, It is Your faithfulness that sustains me. Each day, I fall short of Your glory. My faithfulness falls short. But my hope is Christ. May His faithfulness come alive in me because of faith. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
