Faithfulness
"Moreover it is required in stewards,
that a man be found faithful." [1 Corinthians 4:2]
The basis of our reward is faithfulness not results. All results are the work of
God [1 Corinthians 3:7]. God does require of us to be faithful. Our desire
when we enter into glory should be to hear our Savior say, "Well done thou good
and faithful servant." [Matthew 25:21] What does it mean to be found faithful? I
believe there are three conditions for being declared a faithful servant.
The first is in terms of length. Did I finish the job? Many people are
starters but few are finishers. The Christian life is race and it's all about
finishing. Apostle Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith." [2 Timothy 4:7] Beside finishing the race,
it also means finishing the tasks we take on in serving the Lord. How often have
you
started a job but for a myriad of reasons we never finish it?
The second
condition of a faithful servant is that of obedience. Did I do the job the
way God wanted it done? There are a lot of Christians today who are
serving the Lord their way. God has given us the pattern for life and ministry
in the Bible. Today's Christians are what I call "Ford Christians." Years ago
the Ford advertisement carried the slogan "Ford has a better idea!" Instead of
serving the Lord according to the guidelines set forth in the Bible, many
believers today are saying to God and the world, we have a better idea. What arrogance
for a person to say he knows better than God. The problem with the church and
its missionary enterprise is we have stopped doing it God's way and
substituted human reasoning and personal preference in place of clear cut Bible
instruction and well defined Biblical principles. "All the activity of the
disciples is subject to the clear precept of their Lord. They are not left free
to choose their own methods or adopt their own conception of their work. Their
work is to be Christ-work, and therefore they are absolutely dependent on the
will of Jesus." [Dietrich Bonhoeffer]
The third condition for being
faithful is quality. Did I do the job to the best of my ability?
Faithfulness means doing your best. There isn't room for sloppy work,
a half-hearted effort or just doing my duty. Faithful servants are prepared,
wholly involved in what the are doing and excited about the privilege of serving
the Lord. Too many of the Lord's servants have the "whatever" attitude.
Whatever I do is better than nothing. No it's not! "Whatever"
attitude discourages other servants of God from doing their best. It drives
people away from Christ because "whatever" attitude says to them "you're not worth my
best effort."
Would you consider yourself a faithful servant of the Lord? If not, don't you
think it's time to start being faithful? We expect the Lord to be faithful to
us. He requires us to be faithful and will reward us on that basis.
