Proverbs
25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a
bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
Do you remember when you had loose baby
teeth? You would go to take a bite out of something at dinner time,
and it would just give way! Or how about this, have you ever sat on
your leg until it went to sleep and didn't know it? You would get up
and take a step, only to have your leg buckle under you! That feeling
– knowing that something should work and it fails you – is the kind of
feeling that comes from depending on an unfaithful person.
Have you ever depended on someone, and
they didn't come through for you? It stings, right? Or, have you ever
been the cause of that kind of frustration? I have been in both
places, and I didn't enjoy either!
Faithfulness
and loyalty are not common in this world anymore. Even in the church,
where we should be true to our word, there are a lot of unfaithful
people. Even Solomon noticed that trend back in his day; Proverbs
20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but
who can find a faithful man?”
In the New Testament, the Greek word
for faithfulness is “pistis” - and it's used to describe both
reliability and faith! Why is the word for faith used to
describe our reliability (faithfulness)? Because, the Bible is
describing a faithful person's trustworthiness from someone else's
viewpoint (“I have faith in them”). In other words, our
faithfulness should allow people to put their faith in what we
said we would do!
Faithfulness is our human reflection
of God's character. God is always faithful to His word – that's why
we put our faith in Him. As His kids, we should be faithful to our
word as well! From marriage vows to job contracts, a believer's word
should be binding. Psalm 15:4 shows how a faithful person views his
promises; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Even
when it's costly, a faithful person does what he says. This is the
kind of character should be found in the home, on the job, and in the
church.
God's currency is
faithfulness!
For
example, if you want to advance in your workplace, make sure you're
faithful to your boss! Luke 16:12 says, “And if you have
not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what
is your own?” If you have to
be told two or three times to do something, if you're badmouthing
your boss behind his back, if you're always complaining about the job
you have – why on earth would you be expecting a better position?
If you're not faithful to what your boss is giving you to do, you
will never be made a boss yourself.
When you're faithful, other people may call you a
“kiss-up”, but God will honor your faithfulness to your boss!
This
type of faithfulness applies to ministry as well. When someone has a
call to preach, the best thing they can do is submit to another man's
ministry. Be faithful in what is another man's and God will give you
your own! The worst
thing a young minister in a church can do is badmouth the senior
pastor and constantly maneuver for a better position! You're setting
yourself up for failure, my friend, so stop it! Take a lesson from
Paul, look at how he was placed in ministry: “And
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because
He counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry” (1
Timothy 1:12).
Luke
16:10 sets the rule - He
who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who
is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
Go ahead, try to claim that you'll do a better job when you have
something more important to do. But I'm telling you – the way you
serve in the little things is a picture of what you will do with
greater things. In God's eyes, someone who faithfully cleans the
church bathrooms for ten years is more qualified to step into
ministry than a fresh Bible school graduate!
Faithfulness is essential for your Christian walk! God emphasizes it
over and over again. Be faithful to the people in charge, and God
will bless you!
A
faithful man will abound with blessings
Proverbs 28:20
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