BE FAITHFUL
This past week, I had a Zoom call with one of
my pastor friends, who had been my ministry friend for over sixteen years. When
we were in Quincy, we used to meet every month for breakfast to encourage one
another. Since then, he moved to Indianapolis, but we've never stopped our
monthly check-in meetings, which now happen on Zoom.
In an age where it is hard to make and keep
friends, what made our friendship thrive all these years? I would attribute
that to one word, "Faithfulness!" As I reflected on our friendship, Proverbs
20:6 came to my mind: "Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful
person who can find?" Do you have a faithful friend? It may be your spouse
or a close friend.
If you do, thank God for them and do all you
can to preserve that relationship. We all agree that for any relationship to
survive and thrive, Faithfulness is essential. Where Faithfulness is absent,
those relationships suffer and eventually fall apart. In the past weeks, we have
focused on being thankful in all circumstances and being hopeful in
afflictions. We will look at the importance of Being Faithful. What
does the Bible say about Faithfulness that keeps or breaks a relationship? How
does God's faithfulness manifest? How can we grow in Faithful service of God
and one another? Romans 12:3-13. How is Faithfulness defined?
The dictionary defines Faithfulness as Fidelity,
loyalty, firm adherence to allegiance and duty, as the Faithfulness of
a subject. As Truth, veracity, as the Faithfulness of God. Strict
adherence to injunctions, as the Faithfulness of servants or
ministers. Strict performance of promises, vows, or covenants; constancy
in affection; as the Faithfulness of a husband or wife.[1]
In the scriptures, to be faithful is to be
reliable, steadfast, and unwavering. The Bible speaks of Faithfulness in four
ways: as an attribute of God, as a positive characteristic of some people, as a
characteristic that many people lack, and as a fruit
of the Holy Spirit. We would never know what Faithfulness is
apart from God, so let's see how God manifests Faithfulness.
I. Faithfulness is the Essence of Who God Is.
Scriptures
speak often of God's Faithfulness. God doesn't have to work at being faithful;
He is faithful. Faithfulness is one of God's inherent attributes. The Psalmist
proclaimed, "Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty,
and your Faithfulness surrounds you." Ps 89:8. We learn in the scriptures
that when God says He will do something, He will do it even when it seems
impossible. God's promised son to Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 21.
God is always faithful, even when we are
faithless; He remains faithful. For he cannot disown himself." II Timothy
2:13. This scripture means when we lack faith or
fail in our promises, God remains faithful to His character and promises
because He cannot deny Himself.
That was the experience of the wisest King
Solomon. He witnessed how God fulfilled his promises, so after his prayer of
dedication of the temple, he blessed the Israelites, saying, "Praise be to
the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one
word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses."
I Kings 8:56
According
to these scriptures, if God is eternally reliable and steadfast in his promises
to people, how about Jesus? "As Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's
house,.. but Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his
house." Hebrews 3:5. Can we even fathom what it means for us to be God's
house, and Jesus has been committed to us? What comfort should that give us?
Jesus is committed to me and to all of us because He loves us.
One
of the promises that Jesus made to us, his children, is that He would never
leave us nor forsake us, even unto the end of the age; He will be with us, Matt
28:20. Jesus is faithful to protect us from evil, II Thes 3:3. He sets limits
on our temptations, I Cor 10:13. When we confess our sins, he is faithful to
forgive them I John 1:9. In this world people change but Jesus never changes He
is the same yesterday today and forever, Heb 13:8, so we can depend on Him.
II. Benefits of Growing in Faithfulness
Growing in Faithfulness carries several
benefits. In the scriptures, we often see loyalty and Faithfulness go together.
Prov 3:3-4, "Never let loyalty and kindness
leave you! Tie them around your neck as a
reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and
you will earn a good reputation." (NLT).
Prov 14:22, "those who plan what is good find love
and Faithfulness." (NIV). Prov 16:6, "By loyalty and faithfulness
iniquity is atoned for, And by the
fear of the Lord a man
avoids evil." (RSV) Proverbs 20:28, "Loyalty and Faithfulness
preserve the king. And his throne is upheld by righteousness." (RSV). In English,
loyalty and Faithfulness are synonyms.
"Loyalty means the
state or quality of being loyal; Faithfulness to commitments or obligations."[2]
"In the Bible, the concept of loyalty is purely relational. This means our
whole being is thoroughly committed to someone (Joshua
24:15). The two greatest commandments express such loyalty in
both the divine and human realms: "Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,"
and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mk
12:29-31)."[3] God calls us to be loyal to Him but to one
another.
Ruth, a foreigner, embodied loyalty, as she demonstrated her devotion and duty to her
Jewish mother-in-law: "Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or to return from
following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will
lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Ruth
1:16. Ruth sacrificed her youthfulness in the service of her aging
mother-in-law in Bethlehem. God honored her loyalty and made her an ancestor of
the ruler of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was going to be born in that
little town of Bethlehem."
III. Growing in Faithfulness in God's Service
and Of One Another.
A
faithful God wants us to be faithful in all aspects of our lives, not only in
our family and the Church but also at our workplace. Being faithful means you
are hard-working, doing everything with diligence and integrity. You are a man
or a woman of your word, which means you do what you say you will do, even if
it hurts. People can rely on you. How faithful are you?
Growing in Faithfulness means growing in our
loyalty to God and to one another. This growth doesn't happen by mere words,
but through acts of service. Jesus demonstrated his loyalty to his friends not
just by serving them and
ultimately giving up His life for them.
When
God calls people to serve His great plan of redemption, he often calls those
who are insignificant and from obscure places. Who would have thought that God,
bypassing all the prominent cities, would choose Bethlehem to be a birthplace
for the future rule of the world, the King of His Kingdom? "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of
Judah, out of you will come for
me one who will be ruler over
Israel, whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times." Micah 5:2. A little
town of Bethlehem played a BIG role in God's plan.
Similarly, God is bringing
people who are not so significant and from obscure places into His Church
worldwide. The best way to grow in Faithfulness is by serving in your family
and in the family of God, the local Church where you belong.
For many, it is Hope Church for now.
In
Romans 12:3-13, the Apostle Paul encourages the believers to grow in their
humble service in the local Church. He acknowledges that each member of the
Church is given a gift to serve one another. Whatever that gift may be, we are
to use it diligently and cheerfully.
We
are called to be devoted or loyal to one another in love, never lacking in
zeal, keeping our spiritual fervor, and serving the Lord. We are to be joyful
in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Be generous towards the
Lord's people who are in need—practice hospitality.
I see several of you growing in Faithfulness
by using your gifts and serving the Lord in Hope Church. Many of our Deacons,
Trustees, and other ministry leaders are aging. We are not growing any younger.
If Hope Church is to survive for another ten years, we need younger people to
step up and serve in various roles, as our future depends on them. Whether you
are young or old, a new believer or a seasoned believer, growing in
Faithfulness depends on the Holy Spirit, as Faithfulness is one of the fruits
of the Holy Spirit. Gal 5:22.
