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Faithfulness, Not Success

By S. George Thomas

At the young age of 24, William Wilberforce made the bold decision to run for one of the most powerful and influential seats in the British Parliament. After a long and grueling campaign, he was elected. To celebrate, he decided to take a tour of Europe with some of his family and friends, including one of his old teachers, Isaac Milner. One day as they sat in a carriage, journeying from Nice, France, to the Swiss Alps, Milner challenged his former student to pick up a Bible and start reading it. That challenge changed the course of William’s life.

During his months spent traveling abroad with Milner, William made the decision to become a Christian, but he didn’t see how—or even if—a Christian could really be involved in politics. He felt confused, weary and full of doubts about his future and thought he might serve God better as a pastor than as a politician.

Not knowing where else to turn, William sought advice from his friend John Newton, a former slave-ship captain turned pastor who was famous for having penned the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Newton helped Wilberforce understand that God had placed him where he was for a significant purpose and that he could make a difference by serving God through his platform in politics. John Newton told him: “The Lord has raised you up for the good of His church and for the good of the nation.” Wilberforce’s lifelong friend William Pitt—the youngest Prime Minister in English history—confirmed Newton’s advice, saying, “Surely the principles as well as the practice of Christianity are simple and lead not to meditation only, but to action.” After praying long and hard about what God wanted him to do, William realized God was leading him to stay in politics.

Over the course of the next two years, William wrestled with how his faith in God should shape his calling as a Christian involved in politics. He came to the realization that God hadn’t saved him just so he wouldn’t go to hell; God had saved him to serve and further advance His kingdom. The more he studied God’s Word and spent time talking with John Newton, the more William felt a burden to use his platform of influence to take a stand against sin, evil and injustice. Although faced with tremendous opposition from those he worked with in Parliament, William rallied a loyal group of friends together to unite and devote their lives to promoting and establishing God’s truth, justice and mercy by fighting for prison reform, championing the efforts of various missionaries and eradicating slavery in the British Empire.

William and his friends risked everything they had—their careers, their fortunes, and their lives—because they passionately believed that those who follow Christ must obey His command to be salt and light in the world. They understood that a private faith that is never publicly put into action isn’t faith at all. They labored together for over five decades, and through their united efforts and unwavering perseverance, they awakened the conscience of a nation and put a stop to the British slave trade.

When William Wilberforce and his friends didn’t see immediate results from their efforts, it would have been all too easy for them to become discouraged and give up. Even though they were often unsuccessful, their spiritual focus gave their efforts meaning and purpose. They realized that God had called them to faithfulness, not success.

Are you simply minding your own business and only caring about your personal needs? Or are you putting your faith into action? To follow and obey Christ’s teachings means we need to bring His teachings to life and share them with others. It means that you and I need to be agents of change in the world. The more we come to understand the depth of our own faith, the more we are forced out of a life of mere contemplation and into one of action. We can’t come to know God more without also being moved to love others more—and to care passionately about seeing God’s grace, love, mercy, justice, and truth established throughout the earth. We have been set free to help others get set free.

Like William and his friends, there are numerous individuals in the Bible who used their positions of influence within government and political systems to accomplish the purposes of God—Joseph, Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel, just to name a few. Has God placed that desire in your heart? There are so many ways you can fulfill that call. You can be salt and light by running for public office, lobbying for a just cause or simply volunteering to serve as a council member at your child’s school. If God does call you to serve Him in the political arena, don’t get discouraged or give up no matter how much opposition you face or if you don’t see any immediate success. Remember that success isn’t the criteria; faithfulness is. In the end, we can be confident that even the most difficult political situations are in the hands of our sovereign God. And regardless of whether or not God calls you to serve Him through some sort of active engagement in the political arena, every single one of us still has a responsibility to vote for our elected officials and the Bible explicitly instructs us to pray for those whom God has placed in authority over us—pastors, leaders, government officials.

Ask the Lord to show you if He wants you to make a difference by serving Him through some sort of role in government or politics. Then spend some time today uplifting those in authority over us by praying for them to receive godly wisdom, discernment, and courage.

Memory Verse

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:13–14