My colleague missed the deadline for submitting his part of our project. When I asked our leader how long I should wait, he told me to turn in what I had put together, for my partner would probably never come through. “It’s unfortunate,” he said, “but he isn’t dependable.”
“Not dependable” is a terrible tag. We may be attracted to star qualities such as beauty and brains, but a person will most likely value our characteristic of faithfulness. Consider the friends and co-workers you cherish. They may not be the flashiest or most successful, but you treasure them because you know you can count on them. They always show up.
Mark was a rising star in the early Christian church, but he bailed on Paul and Barnabas midway through their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13). Paul refused to take Mark on his second trip, for the job was hard enough without having to worry about having a quitter on board (Acts 15:37-38).
Proverbs 25:19 says that an unreliable person is like a “lame foot.” A bad leg may look fine when you’re sitting down, but it wobbles and might even collapse when you stand up and try to walk. I think unreliable people are more like broken legs, which always let you down.
How about you? You can’t choose your God-given gifts, and you can’t will yourself to possess ones you don’t have. But you can choose to simply show up. When a potential employer checks your references, do they say you’re dependable? Do you always follow through?
It’s not too late. As Paul languished in a Roman dungeon, he told Timothy: “Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). Mark finally showed up, and Paul leaned on him in the end.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Mark 6:14-29
More:
Read Luke 12:35-48 to discover the rewards for being dependable and the dangers of being unfaithful.
Next:
Some people are undependable because they’re lazy while others are too afraid to try. What’s your biggest obstacle to being reliable, and how can you overcome it?
winn collier on July 16, 2011 at 9:33 am
I had a chance to spend a week with my dad recently. This is one thing I’m deeply thankful for in the example he left me. He was dependable and faithful.
bearpair on July 16, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Yes, Winn, my father was a great example of faithfulness & dependability, PTL.
As for poor John Mark, one needs to look a bit deeper to truly understand the man. I gathered a lot of insight from Jenkins & LeHaye’s series of audio books The Jesus Chronicles:Mark’s Story. Two factors that are often overlooked in Marks life and personality, as well as his dependability, are: 1. What type of man was Paul (aka Saul) to work with? and 2.Far earlier than the Timothy epistles, Paul came to realize that Mark WAS a dependable and true “pillar” in the early church, especially when it cam to his work with Peter & the church in Antioch, along with its Jewish controversy, for which Mark was adamantly opposed. He earned his place by Paul’s side!
mike wittmer on July 18, 2011 at 7:28 am
bearpair:
You are right about the personality of Paul. He would have been difficult to work with, and perhaps that is why it is even more important that Mark “show up” the first time, as Paul was not one to let things slide.
regina franklin on July 20, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Dear Mike,
Good word. Grace is not an absence of character. Rather, grace empowers us to grow in character. While no man but Christ is perfect, the love Jesus has for us brought Him excruciating punishment that we might be set free from the power of sin and empowered for the transforming work of Christ in our lives–a work which includes faithfulness as our yes becomes our yes.