God is faithful to all his promises (Psa 145:13) and he wants corresponding faithfulness and fidelity in his people. His faithfulness is something we enjoy, as it brings us security (Psa 100:5).

In the Greek language the same word is translated either as 'faith' or as 'faithfulness'. The Bible describes faith as a belief and conviction that leads to action (Heb 11:1, NASB). Noah had faith (Heb 11:7) that led him to take action, which is what God calls faithfulness. Abel's faith-full-ness led him to offer God a better sacrifice (Heb 11:4), Enoch's faith-full-ness made him walk with God (Heb 11:5) and Abraham's faith-full-ness caused him to follow God even without knowing the destination (Heb 11:8) and believing God for children (Heb 11:11).

Strong beliefs and convictions will lead to faithfulness, fidelity, and being dependable. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22) which means that it is an expression of God's character. Knowing God's character will lead to us becoming faithful and reliable people also.

God is a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19), and his faithfulness can be seen in the order and constancy of nature. God's testimonies and word are faithful (Psa 119:138), so we can rely on his word. We are saved because of his faithfulness to call us to salvation (1 Cor 1:9). He is faithful to protect and preserve us when we are tempted (1 Cor 10:13). God is also faithful to his calling upon our lives (1 The 5:24), and faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9), and to strengthen and protect us (2 The 3:3).

His faithfulness is not dependent on external factors, he is faithful because that is his character (2 Tim 2:13), therefore he can declare that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5). Christian growth comes from knowing Christ and considering his faithfulness (He 3:1-2, 5). As we lean on Christ for developing this aspect of our lives, we are being sanctified.

God wants to empower us for faithfulness, firstly unto him. He calls us to be faithful, even to the point of death (Rev 2:10) because he himself was faithful to us even unto death (Phi 2:7-8). He wants to be able to depend on us to do what he wants us to do, as he works to touch the world through us (2 Cor 5:20).

So we are to begin with the little things (Luke 16:10) and also to be faithful with handling money (Luke 16:11) because how we handle the little we have now is how we will handle large sums of money.

We also need to be faithful over other people's things (Luke 16:12). And in the areas of employment (1 Cor 4:2), friendship (Pro 17:17), telling the truth (Pro 14:5), family and marriage, and even in the midst of suffering (Rev 2:10).

God wants us to be faithful to the church, the body of Christ (Rom 12:5). Because we are living in the last days, we need to assemble as a body (Heb 10:25). We are there not just to get but even more to give. Since Jesus humbled himself to serve when he came among us (Mat 20:28), we too ought to follow his example and serve others faithfully. Being faithful in service qualifies us to be mentored by God-appointed leadership, because God has instructed them to teach the faithful (2 Tim 2:2). We cannot love God, whom we have not seen, unless we love the brethren in church, whom we have seen (1 John 4:20).

Questions to ponder:

God is totally faithful to us, promising us that he will never leave nor forsake us (Heb 13:5). He is faithful because it is His character (2 Tim 2:13), and that faithfulness is therefore not dependant on us.

His faithfulness demands reciprocation (Exo 20:3), and Jesus teaches us to be faithful to God by loving Him with our whole heart (Mat 22:37-38). God knows that love cannot be produced by a command, therefore he initiated the process by loving us first (1 John 4:19). Likewise He inspires faithfulness in us by being faithful to us first. How we relate with one another is a direct reflection of how we relate with God (1 John 4:20). Growing in faithfulness is growing in Christ-likeness, because faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).

Faithfulness requires us to stay true and committed to one another despite adversities and imperfections. And in church there are adversities and imperfections to test our faithfulness, whether they are deficits and lack in ministries and operations, the failings of other people, or misunderstandings, offences and conflicts.

Paul teaches us that sowing to the flesh will bring us corruption, while sowing to the Spirit will bring us eternal life (Gal 6:7-8). He teaches us this in the context of faithfulness, admonishing us to stay faithful in doing good (Gal 6:9), which implies that choosing selfishness is sowing to the flesh. We are also told to begin practicing faithfulness and service in the house of God (Gal 6:10).

It is tiring, that is why the Bible tells us not to get tired of doing good (2 The 3:13). And Satan will also try to tempt us away from faithfulness. We need to stay the course and be faithful, not only in our relationships but also with our assets. These include physical assets such as money and wealth and non-physical assets such as talents, knowledge, skill sets and education. Since all good gifts come from God (James 1:17), we are to be faithful in all these gifts also (1 Cor 4:2, NKJV).

In the last days we are to be clear-minded (1 Pet 4:7) because the enemy seeks to deceive and confuse even God's chosen people (Mat 24:24). We are to love one another (1 Pet 4:8) in practical, concrete ways such as hospitality (1 Pet 4:9) and using our gifts to serve others and administer God's grace in its many forms (1 Pet 4:10) so that God may be glorified (1 Pet 4:11). Don't let the enemy rob God of glory giving way to offence, confusion, bitterness and unforgiveness, but glorify God by serving his people faithfully.

When we are faithful with the small, the little and the physical things, we will be entrusted with bigger and more things, as well as with spiritual treasures (Luke 16:10-12). Stay faithful where you are planted, God calls that success (Gen 39:3, 23). God empowered Paul for ministry because he was faithful (1 Tim 1:12) and so he taught his disciple Timothy to look for faithful people also (2 Tim 2:2).

Faithfulness does not mean never making mistakes, but carrying on in spite of them. Peter made a multitude of mistakes, culminating in denying the Lord three times (John 18:15-27), but because he kept returning to the Lord, God chose him to preach the first evangelistic sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41). One day we will receive our reward, the praise God has for his faithful servants (Mat 25:21). May we be numbered among the called, chosen and faithful standing by our Lord's side when he comes again (Rev 17:14)!

Points to Ponder

Faithfulness means singularity in love, and commitment that lasts. God is faithful to Man, even to the point of giving his Son Jesus (John 3:16). He is faithful even to those who reject him, blessing them with his sunshine and rain (Mat 5:45). And he wants corresponding faithfulness from us, especially in the Last Days.

Peter exhorts us to be clear-minded in the Last Days (1 Pet 4:7), implying that confusion will be rampant. We are told that above all we are to love (1 Pet 4:8), to be proactive and deliberate to walk in love. We do so by taking practical action, showing hospitality and faithfully serving God's people (1 Pet 4:9-10). When we are found alert and faithful in service (Luke 12:35), God tells us repeatedly that we will be rewarded (Luke 12:37, 28, 43). Those who are faithful with God-given responsibilities will be entrusted with more. Those who are faithful with little will be entrusted with much (Luke 16:10).

So we start with small things. We start with spending time with God and going to church. When we start to heed God in the little, we find that he is directing us at all times and we become more sensitive to hear his voice. When we are faithful with handling worldly wealth, God entrusts us with true riches such as anointing, divine revelation and wisdom (Luke 16:11). We are also to be faithful with the possessions of others, such as our employers' interests, assets and possessions, working as unto the Lord (Col 3:23). When we are faithful to the interests of our employers and with other people's ministries, God will entrust us with possessions of our own (Luke 16:12).

When we look at the context of this admonition, we see that the overriding theme is our use of money. In the passage before, we have the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-8) who used his master's possessions to win friends for himself. God likewise tells us to be shrewd and deliberate to use worldly wealth to win friends for ourselves for eternity (Luke 16:9), to use our money to win souls for heaven.

God sees our faithfulness with our money in the physical realm as a reflection of our faithfulness in the spiritual realm. We expend much of our lives in exchange for money, so money does reflect our lives. We cannot love both God and money at the same time (Luke 16:13). God tells us not to love money, because he is faithful to be with us and to take care of us (Hebrews 13:5-6), with regards to provision.

When we tithe, we express God's character. He wants the tithe to express his fairness, mercy and faithfulness (Mat 23:23). The tithe shows God's fairness, because it supports the people who are called to the work of the ministry (Num 18:20-21) and have no other form of livelihood. The tithe also shows God's mercy, because it is to be used to help the poor and needy (Det 26:12). And it also shows his faithfulness to consistently provide for these people.

Before the Cross, the tithe would bring God's people blessing (Mal 3:10) and remove financial curses (Mal 3:11). Now we are blessed because of Jesus (2 Cor 8:9) and he has redeemed us from all curses (Gal 3:13), so we tithe to express God's heartbeat of fairness, mercy and faithfulness. The Bible tells us to appoint unto leadership only those who do not love money (1 Tim 3:3) and do not pursue dishonest gain (Tit 1:7). In other words, those who are faithful in the handling of money.

Ultimately, Jesus is our example for faithfulness. He faithfully intercedes for us (Heb 2:17), faithfully does the Father's will (Heb 3:1-2) and is a faithful witness to God's message (Rev 1:5). So let us respond in like faithfulness. We are to put our hands to the plow and never look back (Luke 9:62), and serve as long as we have the opportunity, because a time is coming when that window of opportunity will be closed (John 9:4).

Points to Ponder