Faithfulness: It's What You Do Repeatedly That Makes a Statement
Faithfulness is a character trait we all want other people to have. We want our spouse to be faithful to us in good times and bad. We want the guy who's repairing our roof to do a good job and get it finished on time. And we want our children to obey us not just to get gifts or special privileges, but because they trust us and believe we want the best for them.
Faithfulness is a wonderful thing. But it's not easy to be faithful, and it's not easy to find other people who fit the definition these days. One place you notice it is in the workplace. Years ago it was normal for a person to hold the same job for thirty years or more. Today, turnover is a lot higher. We like to keep our options open, looking for bigger paychecks and more attractive benefits.
It's okay to want to be fairly compensated for the work that we do. But a lot of times, people are looking for a way to get the same benefits today that would take the next person several years to earn.
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TV commercials are another place we see this, with products like weight loss supplements and skin creams that promise us overnight results. Why do we buy this stuff? I think it's because we want something for nothing. It takes so little effort to take a pill or rub some cream onto your skin. Yet we're expecting the same results as if we were at the gym three days a week doing stomach crunches, lifting weights and watching what we eat.
The point is shortcuts don't usually deliver the results we hope for. And compromises keep us from enjoying true satisfaction in life.
The thing that can bring us real joy and satisfaction is faithfulness … doing what we know is right in obedience to God's Word.
Second Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself."
I love that about God! No matter what we do or don't do, His attitude toward us is always the same. And that's the kind of stability that people need to see from Christians today.
Sometimes we start out doing the right thing for a while and then, when we don't get a right result or a positive response from people, we change our mind and do something else. But God wants us to remain faithful to His Word even during times of discouragement. And for our faithfulness, He promises us a reward.
Galatians 6:9 (AMP) says, "And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint."
There will always be a reward for our faithfulness, just as God has promised. We may not know when it will come, but we can trust that it will. And really, our motivation needs to be deeper than that. Instead of having our hearts set on rewards, we can set our hearts to be happy doing what's right just because it pleases God.
Is there an area of your life where God wants you to come up higher? We all have something we can improve on. I want to encourage you to make your mind up to follow through with whatever God has put on your heart to do and what you've learned about in His Word.
Maybe you've been doing a little bit less than you know you should do at work or in your relationships and now it's starting to take some of the joy out of things. Decide today that no matter what other people may do, you're going to give God your best, and you're not going to stop when things get hard. Because with God's help-through the Holy Spirit-you can always do whatever He is leading you to do.
We're not anointed for weak and wimpy stuff. We're anointed for what's hard. It's amazing how God can help us to do even the most difficult things with a degree of ease. The problem may not be easy. But you can get through it because God is on your side, and He will help you finish what you start.
Maybe you have twenty unfinished projects going on at your house and they're starting to aggravate you. Or maybe there are relationships in your life that you need to attend to. Do what you know you need to do one step at a time and eventually you will reach your goal if you won't give up.
All great men and women of faith finish what they start.
Jesus said, "I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do" (John 17:4 AMP). The apostle Paul said, "Neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course with joy" (Acts 20:24 AMP).
Keep doing what you know is right, even when you're not getting immediate results. Do it even when no one is looking…just because you want to be the great man or woman of faith that God created you to be.
When we're faithful, we're bringing glory to Father God. And if we can make that our main motivation in life, we'll be happy with the results that come our way.
