THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF FAITHFULNESS 

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love but a faithful man who can find??" -- Proverbs 20:6

What is faithfulness?

One who can be relied on, accountable, steadfast in affection or allegiance, firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty.

Here are some synonyms for the word Faithful:

Loyal:                    Implies a firm resistance to any temptation to desert or betray.

Constant:             Stresses continuing firmness of emotional attachment with strict obedience to promises or vows.

Staunch:               Suggests fortitude, resolution in adherence and imperviousness to influences that would weaken it.

Steadfast:            Implies a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance or conviction.

Resolute:             Implies firm determination to adhere to a cause or purpose.

Commitment: The act of pledging oneself, engaging in a work without thought of quitting or straying off course. 

God is faithful

Faithfulness is a quality of the divine nature.

Deuteronomy 7:9 

Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

Also read Isaiah 49: 7; Lamentations 3: 23; I Cor 1: 9; 10: 13; 1 Thes 5: 24; 2 Thes 3: 3; 2 Tim 2: 13; Heb 10: 23; 11: 11; 1 Peter 4: 19; 1 John 1: 9

God does what He promises to do. Moreover, because God is faithful, we dare to have courage to trust Him and His promises.
"He is faithful that promised" - Heb. 10:23.
"Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens: and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds" - Psalm 36:5.
"Thy faithfulness is unto all generations..."- Psalm 119: 90

In truth, all of God's creation depends on His faithfulness.

God commands us to be faithful

"Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which he suffered..." - Heb. 5:8
Our faithfulness is a response to God’s faithfulness to us. We find the strength to be faithful to God because God is faithful in dealing with us. Faithfulness is one characteristic the Apostle Paul calls the "fruit" of Holy Spirit. The grace of God teaches and empowers us to learn and develop faithfulness.  We, too, can learn faithfulness.

God is faithful; we appreciate the effect His faithfulness has on us: we can rely upon Him. Because we appreciate reliability in others we begin trying to be more reliable ourselves. Reliability gradually becomes one of our characteristics.

Faithfulness is the foundation for credible character

1 Corinthians 4:17
For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

Extrinsic value measures the difference between market price of an option and its intrinsic value. Extrinsic value is the portion of the worth that has been assigned to an item by external factors. The opposite of an extrinsic value is an intrinsic value, which is the inherent worth of an item. God has already declared your intrinsic value as His child by demonstrating His love for you by giving His only Son, Jesus Christ for us.

But we increase our extrinsic value as we grow in faithfulness. When you make the most of what you have been given (gifting, finances, resources, opportunities) in the time you have been given, you grow in value to those around you. And these are the men and women who become leaders in the kingdom.

It’s not what you and I want to accomplish. It is what God wants to accomplish through you which possible only if you grow in faithfulness. 

That’s why God chooses leaders on the basis of their faithfulness to Him.

Matthew 24: 45; 25: 21 - 23; Luke 12: 42; 19: 17; 1 Timothy 1: 12; 1 Samuel 2: 35; 3: 20; Nehemiah 9: 8; 13: 13

That’s why godly men of the New Testament chose leaders on the basis of faithfulness.

Ephesians 6: 21; Colossians 1:7; 4: 7 - 9; 1 Pet 5: 12; 1 Timothy 3: 11; Titus 1: 6

Paul chose Timothy because of his faithfulness, 1 Cor 4:17

Paul chose Tychius who was a faithful minister, Eph 6:21

Paul chose Epaphras, a faithful minister, Col 1:17.

Paul chose Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, Col 4:9

Peter chose Silvanus “our faithful brother” 1 Peter 5:12.

Let us understand how to grow in faithfulness in four primary areas of our lives:

A.   Faithfulness in small things.
Luke 16:10-13

Least = smallest, least in management of affairs, insignificant, without notice.

1.    Does he keep his word to his family and his children?

2.    Does he faithfully tithe?

3.    Does he give in addition to his tithe?

4.    Does he “swear to his own hurt”?

5.    Is he quick to volunteer when help is needed?

6.    Do his neighbors consider him an honest and dependable man?

7.    Does he give his employer all his energy to work or does he slack off when alone?

B.   Faithfulness in another man’s house and goals.
Luke 16:12; 1Cor 4:2

A man who is willing to give wholeheartedly of himself to see another man succeed is a man worth following.

Every true leader mentioned in the Bible has proven himself faithful in serving another man’s dream.
Moses: For 40 years Moses faithfully cared for his father-in-law’s sheep before God entrusted him with the care of His people - Exodus 3:1; Num 12:7; Heb 3:2.

David: We see David in 1 Sam 16:11; 17:15; 22:14

David cared for his father’s sheep.  He wasn’t considered important enough to brought in to meet with Samuel with his brothers, yet he still remained faithful at a position that was unnoticed.

David was known for his faithful service to King Saul, yet Saul never appreciated or recognized David’s service to him. Yet David remained faithful to King Saul till the end.

C.    Faithfulness in natural things.
Luke 16:11; Daniel 6:4; Col 3:22; Eph 6:6-9

In money, Luke 16:11. A man who is undisciplined in money cannot be trusted.

In obeying the laws of the land, Daniel 6:4

In serving an employer, Col 3:22; Eph 6:6-9 

Faithfulness in natural things must be done “to the Lord” and not to curry the favor of men. Faithfulness will not always be noticed by those we serve, but the faithfulness lived before God will be rewarded.

D.   Faithfulness in trials:

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. There is a precious element in this story.
Daniel 3:16-18 

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire;  and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Why this story always stirs our hearts is because it is a display of such pure faithfulness. There is one thing more important than your miracle – your faithfulness. It is to be faithful in the midst of mystery when we don’t understand what’s happening to us. Whenever we think that this is a test of God’s faithfulness, it is actually a test of our faithfulness to God.

God’s faithfulness gives us the courage to make a bold statement of faith. And many times, such bold proclamations in the face of difficult trials and impossible situations open the doors for amazing things to happen. A confession of faith is vital to release of the miracle. But yet, my faithfulness is not dependent on that happening. I need to be faithful to God even if He does not do what I expect Him to do. Such faithfulness is priceless. 

Conclusion:

Being faithful is the supreme challenge and gift that God has given us. Therefore, we need to learn to value training in godliness. Look at the example of the sprinter at the Olympic Games. Hours of practice, daily, for years - only for a 10 second sprint. That’s intense. We’ve got a lifetime to pursue one thing. Because there is that one moment coming before us, which is infinitely eternally more glorious than being in the Olympic Games. When Jesus will make a statement, that’ll be shorter than a 10 second sprint, when He says

“Well done you good and faithful servant”

At that moment all the pain of the process, the trails and testings would not matter. I want to encourage you to live for that moment when nothing else matters. You have to live with that in mind or you’ll live for another purpose or cause which would be of far lesser value.  Because there is a day coming when we have to give an account of our lives to God. That moment will escape no one. But what you hear from the Lord in that moment is to be the focus of our life’s training and our race here on earth.

So don’t choose the good life, or the better life but choose the best: the blessed life.

A life of faithfulness to God!