Remaining Faithful
The Bible enjoins us to be faithful! What does faithful mean? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to be faithful is to be firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance. It implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing, or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted. Some common synonyms of faithful are constant, loyal, resolute, and steadfast. When a married person is faithful, they stand by their spouse and will not cheat.
God is always faithful, even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful because that is His character. The Bible says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God doesn’t change. “For I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6 NKJ). We read in Deuteronomy 7:9, “Therefore, know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
Remaining faithful, therefore, means one remains steadfast in commitment even in times of trial or hardship. The story of a retiring carpenter will show you the importance of remaining faithful to the end. John Grogan told the story this way:
It seems that an old carpenter decided that it was time for him to retire. He was a master craftsman and highly esteemed for excellent work. He knew he would miss the paycheck and camaraderie, but he needed to retire and be able to enjoy spending time with his wife and extended family.
The builder, whom he had so faithfully served for so many years, hated to see him go, but he understood.
The contractor prevailed upon his old friend, as a personal favor, to stay on for just one more house. The old man agreed, but it wasn’t long before it became evident that his heart was no longer in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship, cut corners, and used inferior materials. It was a sad way to end an otherwise stellar career.
When the house was completed and he took off his apron for the last time, the builder appeared for the final home inspection. Forgoing this ritual, and with all the various tradesmen gathered around, the contractor presented the keys to the matchless worker. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you for your faithfulness.”
What a shock! If he had only realized that he was building his own house, how differently he would have built it.
If the carpenter knew the house, he was building was for him, he would have been more diligent and would not have cut corners but remained faithful to the end. When we do things for God or other human beings, in a way, we are storing treasures for ourselves. That’s why Jesus admonishes us to lay up treasures in heaven, “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). The Apostle Paul also tells us, whatever we do, we should do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. And Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Our faithfulness to God means trusting in Him and loving Him through all circumstances. It means following His ways rather than our own path. Our faithfulness to our loved ones means loving them even when it’s difficult. We care for them even when they’re ungrateful or unfriendly.
Here are some ways to develop or grow in faithfulness:
- Listen to His Word: The Apostle Paul tells us how faith comes in Romans 10:17. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. To be faithful to God, we must have faith in Him and His word. That means we must constantly listen to Him through the Bible. Listen to teachers or preachers who teach the truth about God and His word. It must be continuous. Being faithful is living in accordance with His word—His word is truth (John 17:17).
- Write His Word upon your heart: In Proverbs 3:3, we read not to let love and faithfulness leave us, but to bind them around our necks and write them on the tablets of our hearts. So, for us to be faithful, we must be intentional. We must wear faithfulness like a necklace and write it upon our hearts so that we are always mindful of it, whether it is faithfulness to God, our marriage vows, our employers, or our employees.
- Make a deliberate commitment—a choice: The psalmist says, “I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Thine ordinances before me” (Psalm 119: 30 NAS). That means he has made up his mind and is determined to live faithfully no matter what comes. That’s the type of commitment we must make to remain faithful to God and people. Paul says he always strives to have a conscience without offense toward God and men—that’s a serious commitment.
- Realize faithfulness is the fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22 lists faithfulness as part of the fruit of the Spirit. Faithfulness is something which grows and develops, and it takes time, so we must patiently listen and obey the Holy Spirit as He works in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
- Develop sincere love for God: Our faithfulness to God or people comes because of the love we have for them. When you love God or a person you would not like to be disloyal to them in any circumstance. Developing any love relationship takes time and work, we must invest time and effort to grow the intimate bond we have with God through daily reading His word and praying.