Faithfulness and real commitment are both necessary for Christian success. This success does not bring gold trophies, financial wealth, prestige, or glowing reviews in the news. It rather brings a “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Christian faithfulness encompasses the following:
Faithfulness in our work. It seems as though many today ask, “What’s in it for me?” to determine their level of commitment to their work. If there is a better offer or other great benefit, many people do not pause to consider where they would best serve the Lord. This is what Lot in Genesis 13 did. He saw the “greener grass” of the Jordan plain and thought it was better than the rugged highlands, even though it put him close to the wickedness of Sodom. Christians should ask, “How may I best serve the Lord and others?” Hard work and commitment to see a job through will likely bring material blessings. Those blessings are side effects of our work.
Faithfulness in our homes. There is a crying need in our society for Christians who take seriously their vows to their marriage partners and families. While evangelical Christians are not immune to temptation, we ought to hold and be held to a higher standard than the pagan world around us. When we take our wedding and child dedication vows, those commitments we make should be held sacred, and not violated for our mere pleasure or convenience.
Faithfulness in our church. Competition for our attention is fierce these days. The world will always have more money, talent, and skill to conduct worldly things than will the church. That is why advertising for alcohol, fashion, or the latest video game is so much more sensational than the proclamation of the Gospel. The church cannot compete against the world using the world’s means. But the Bible tells us that we carry on through the “foolishness of preaching” about the foolishness of the Cross. Christians need to make serious choices more and more about their time, and their faithfulness to the church. Every Christian should first take into account the church calendar beginning with Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening when making his calendar. A person’s calendar priorities while putting the church before any other activity of the world is a barometer of his relationship with God.
Faithfulness to God. We live in a world filled with idols or things that substitute for or even come alongside the God of the Bible. Even to many Christians, these idols appear as good, reasonable things. Faithfulness requires that we recognize the idols in our lives, break them down, and return to rightly worshipping the Living God alone, as He has prescribed in His Word.
Do we have faithful hearts tuned to the right worship of God? Are our desires and inclinations merely sprinkled with an orientation toward God, or are they immersed and saturated in Him? Will Jesus Christ find us faithful?
Craig Alan Myers, CBC EX. Board
