What is Faithfulness

The Principle of Faithfulness

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22). The principle of faithfulness is beautifully demonstrated in Hebrews 11 that contains a cloud of witnesses to faith. God honored their faithfulness, thus transforming what appeared to be humanly impossible into a great victory. Some of the clouds of witnesses to faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 triumphed as their circumstances changed. However, some of them were scorned and were not esteemed. They endured suffering mockery, flogging, chains, imprisonment and even death. Even though they did not receive their earthly promise, these witnesses were commended for their faithfulness. Beloved soul, like Meshach and his friends in the book of Daniel you too are faced with the choice of whether to seek the approval of human beings or of God.

It is by faith that the Lord’s stewards are to perform the work entrusted to them. You can rejoice in the knowledge that God gives you the power to yield and to do, under which your faith is secured. Faithfulness is established in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been given to you as a surety of a better Covenant with the Father. Fidelity is a key component for true stewardship. The Father is faithful and changeless; His word is the truth and he desires that you imitate Him. However, mortal beings unlike God can either be faithful or unfaithful, reliable or unreliable (Matthew 25:21). In fact, nowhere is infidelity more common than in relationships. Most people struggle with faithfulness owing to the distractions caused by putting their trust in technological devices. The measure of your faithfulness will depend on your degree of abiding in Christ. An abiding that is based on a command to love God and one another and not on the Law of Moses, whose requirements were impossible to observe.

Trust and integrity is dependent on consistent performance, for whoever is faithful with little much will be given. If you demonstrate faithfulness with one talent, you will be assigned two more talents. This is a very important principle if you desire to turn an ordinary talent into an extraordinary one. If you borrow money from a bank and pay it back on time, then you are demonstrating faithfulness and the lending institution will be willing to give you more for your viable projects. The same case with God's Kingdom, you cannot be entrusted with more people, more tasks, more responsibility until you can prove yourself worthy especially with respect to that which does not belong to you (Luke 16:12). Caleb and Joshua become a witness to God's faithfulness. They encouraged their fellow brethren to go up and possess the land that was flowing with milk and honey for it was an exceedingly a good property (Numbers 14:6-8). Joseph is a role model for faithfulness. He unreservedly served with diligence turning Pharaoh's dream into a reality thus bringing glory to the God of Israel. God rewarded His stewards’ faithfulness. Note that faithfulness is not about doing, but about becoming, which can be determined by:

1) Whether you brought glory to God in serving others or you lived selfishly (II Corinthians 5:15).

2) Whether you squandered or used your time wisely (John 9:4; Ephesians 5:16).

3) Whether you exercised or buried your talent (Matthew 6:19-21).

4) How you served or lived in pleasure seeking (Luke 15:17; I Corinthians 3:13).

5) Whether you introduced salvation to the lost or drove many into destruction (Daniel 12:3; Mark 9:42).

6) Whether you were faithless or faithful in prayers (Luke 18:1).

7) Whether you lifted or destroyed brethren with your words and lips (Matthew 12:36).

8) Whether you conducted yourself with sobriety or in drunkenness (Galatians 6:1; I Peter 4:3).

9) Whether you utilized your body, mind and soul fully or half-heartedly (Matthew 22:37).

10) Whether you were faithful with little or faithless with much (Matthew 25:21).

God is interested in who you are becoming and not what you are acquiring. This is what really counts as a worthy treasure.

• Money can buy material possessions but it cannot buy character.

• It is possible to acquire academic qualifications but lack wisdom.

• It is possible to achieve a desired body weight via extreme dieting and excessive exercise and yet be unhealthy with regards to your body composition.

• It possible to be well built and yet be spiritually, relationally and emotionally empty.

I shared the ten aforementioned qualities that gauge faithfulness in a conference last month. During the tea break, an attendee approached me and asked, "How then do I prove my faithfulness to God?" I explained to the attendee that faithfulness to God is a process and not an end. The good news is that God is not interested in just quantity but in your ability to do your best, which implies quality. Quantity deals with numbers, such as ‘how much’ as seen in the Old Testament observing of external rules and regulations. Quality deals with words such as, ‘what did you do with your talent, how and why’, which is observed in the New Testament. Most importantly, God is interested in your yielding to Him, trust and obey. This makes you a joint heir to His power and His blessings enabling you to say, “I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

I encouraged the attendee to begin small, knowing that impossible situations with man are possible with those who will live in fellowship with God. Totally trusting God you will do what is considered impossible. Do you demonstrate faithfulness by using your abilities well in your organization? Do you make a profit without applying dishonest measures? Do you serve others faithfully and with a cheerful heart?

• Faithfulness in your emotions is entrusting yourself to God by controlling your lip and your temper.

• Faithfulness is the wisdom, the discernment that determines whom to give access to the affections of your heart.

• Faithfulness is a rule of conduct that determines what you will do and not do in dating.

• Faithfulness is a mother who even though busy will not forget her love for her family.

• Faithfulness is a husband despite being occupied with daily matters in the office will maintain a lovely image of his affection for his family.

• Faithfulness is sustaining loving relationships with your spouse, your children, and extended family members.

• Faithfulness is fidelity in a marriage.

• Faithfulness is showing care to the feeble.

• Faithfulness is spending quality time with your spouse and children.

• Faithfulness is showing care to a stranger even if you cannot help him.

• Faithfulness is engaging in worthwhile matters and managing the family finances with prudently.

• Faithfulness is surrendering and depending on God for by yourself, you cannot prove anything to Him.

• Faithfulness is appreciating each day as it comes for it is God Almighty, the gracious and faithful one, who establishes you in Jesus Christ.

• Faithfulness cannot be earned. Undeniably, you can be faithful in most areas of your life and yet fail by being unfaithful in just one dimension. You could be faithful in exercising your talent yet unfaithful with your body, the wonderful temple of the Holy Spirit by the food you consume, through excessive gluttony, excessive alcoholism and living on tranquilizers to numb an imagined pain.

• Faithfulness is ceasing from striving and depending on yourself because justification is by grace alone.

• Faithfulness is living in stillness, for it is in waiting on God with expectation that you shall receive His holy orders, which you are to carry out swiftly.

• Faithfulness is demonstrated in testing God with your giving and seeing if He will not open the windows of Heaven and pour you a blessing that you will not be able to contain (cf. Malachi 3:6-12).

• Faithfulness is Abraham, Moses, Stephen, Joshua and Caleb, being led by God with but one condition that His power be manifested in and through them.

• Faithfulness is ceasing from your natural efforts and from depending on other outer objects for your 'All this and Heaven too!'

• Faithfulness is an ore allowing God to break it so that a precious metal can emerge from it.

• Faithfulness is a teachable spirit that relies on the Son of God who is the leader of all humanity.

• Faithfulness is a confession of your helplessness and as such, you cast yourself upon God's promises, and claiming its absolute fulfillment in your life.

• Faithfulness is putting yourself quietly into the Lord’s hands for Him to do His perfect will in and through you.

• Faithfulness is the perfect resignation to God to do His will in your life.

• Faithfulness is standing by the truth set before you illuminating all areas of your life.

• Faithfulness is a life that makes God ‘all in all’ for the self is unable to practice faithfulness.

I continued to encourage the attendee to increase his sense of awareness and his ability to connect with others by sharing kind words with his lips, such as saying thank you and showing gratitude even in small things. This can include extending a hug and comfort to others, giving a sympathetic ear to someone who just wants to talk, as well as becoming a mentor. You can commit 20 minutes in solitude, in complete surrender and in deep earnestness to the grace of God and with time; you will begin to see some changes begin to take place. The morning watch is the key to a life of waiting on God, and abiding in Christ, the infilling of power by the Holy Spirit so that you can be strengthened throughout the day. This act of seeking God in the morning is not an end in itself, but rather a means to the end, which is to abide in Christ the entire day. Remember that communion with Christ is not a timed schedule but a process of abiding continually. Your heart desires to have an encounter with Christ morning by morning as with manna by confessing, "Lord, here I am, hear my voice; as I plead my case to You. Through the abundance of your steadfast love, I bow down in awe. In my weakness Lord feed me this morning, speak to my soul." and watching for an answer during the day.

To be faithful, all you need to do is to gaze onto His Throne so that you might be admitted into fellowship with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, living fully united with the Trinity. God desires your faithfulness not in some part, but in all areas of your life, loving Him with all your thought process, your soul and your heart. Note however, that it is not your faith that will keep you standing, but it is the daily encounter with Jesus in fellowship and worship and love. Wait in His presence, regardless of how jaded and faithless you may feel. Wait on Him admitting, "Lord, I am helpless, I come before Your Throne trusting, believing and resting in the blessed assurance that You will do this thing that You have promised."

Beloved soul, can you comprehend just how your own self-dependence is the cause of your failure? God alone can justify you in union with Christ Jesus.