Dearly beloved in Christ,
I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to be faithful in all things. This is what the Lord expects of us. Faithfulness is expected of all workers. Here let us examine the areas where we ought to be faithful and the blessings that ensue.
BLESSING OF BEING FAITHFUL
1. EXALTATION AND HAPPINESS
The Lord exalts those who are found to be faithful in their work. He will not forsake any worker who is faithful in serving the master to increase his earnings.
A boy joined an establishment several years ago. He performed his job quite perfectly, enthusiastically and quickly. The master gave him more work to do. He increased his salary. He treated him as if he were a member of the family. More responsibilities were given to him. He was made to shoulder an important assignment in the establishment.
Similarly, the Lord exalts us when we are faithful in our duties. Not only that, as we are faithful in the sight of God, we are made to take part in the joy of the master.
2. FAITHFULNESS PLEASES THE LORD
“...but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22).
As we are faithful, the Lord is pleased and loves us. There are many things that pleases the Lord. One of them is being faithful. If a father is pleased with a child, then he would shower his love upon him and he would enjoy many concessions and privileges. All his doings will be blessed and his needs would be met with concern.
Daniel was faithful, and therefore, the king wanted to exalt him over other nobles of the kingdom. Gabriel the angel of the Lord says that he was the beloved of the Lord, and therefore, he received his answer for his prayer immediately (Dan. 9:23). More than that, when he was thrown into a den of lions, no harm happened to him as the mouths of all the lions were bound by the angel of the Lord. Thus, Daniel who came there as a slave boy was blessed and exalted to a high position in the kingdom as he was faithful.
3.THE LORD PRESERVES THE FAITHFUL
“Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person.” (Psalm 31:23).
Whatever might be the situation you are placed in, the Lord would guide you when you are faithful to the Lord. Once a teacher shared her testimony. She could not return home one day as there was a chaos in the region. She had to stay in the school itself. There were also others with her. At night the situation became worse. The teachers who stayed with her began to worship the Lord in a room by singing and in prayer. As they sought the presence of the Lord with a faithful heart, no harm happened to them even though the sounds of gun fire were heard near them. In the morning they found that all the other buildings had been terribly damaged. But those who called upon the name of the Lord in truth were saved in the midst of destruction all around.
King Hezekiah was sick on bed. The Prophet Isaiah came to him with the word of the Lord. He was told to set his house in order as he was nearing his end. As he heard the words of God, he wept bitterly. He cried to the Lord God, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight” (Isaiah 38:3). The Lord by His grace extended his life by fifteen years as he was faithful to Him.
4. BLESSED BY THE LORD
“A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” (Proverbs 28:20).
Our God is faithful. He does not lie. He detests lie and the liar. These days people try to have blessings through deceptive ways. They are hypocritical and false. As the Lord blesses, there would not be any afflictions along with it.
Jacob cheated his father saying that he was his elder son Esau. Through this lie, he got blessed by his father. But the situation turned so grim that he had to quit the place in fear. He was gripped with fear and sorrow. As a result, he was also cheated. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. You can accomplish things through deceit, but you are sure to be cheated as well. Your fidelity will be rewarded by the Lord with His blessings.
Once a man planned to visit a foreign country for ministry. When he approached the consulate of the country for visa, he was asked the purpose of his visit there. They enquired if there was anyone known to him. He informed them about his ministry and his intention to do ministry there. They refused to give him visa. He accepted their reply. They told him that he would be given the visa if only he told them that he had someone there. But this man told them that he would not say any lie. That official was astonished by his reply. As he was truthful, he wanted to do something for him. He asked him about his brother who had gone to that country a few days earlier for ministry. Then he was asked to write that he wanted to meet his brother there. As he spoke the truth, he received the visa. Not only that, the Lord enabled him to visit several other countries.
The Lord blesses a faithful person severally and manyfold. Dear Brother/ Sister, do you feel that you lack blessings in your life. Today submit to live faithfully. Do away with the habit of lying. If you remain faithful and honest in what you do, the Lord will bless you.
Solomon sought the Lord in truth, He offered the sacrifices. That very night the Lord appeared to him in a dream and asked him about his wish. He sought wisdom, and got not only wisdom but also a lot of wealth.
In my life, I was a failure in financial matters as I was always staring at my debt. I had no happiness. At that time, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and sought him with the whole heart. As a result, all the shortcomings in my boundary left. In a short time, the blessings of the Lord began to abound in my boundary. We regained all the lost peace and happiness at home. My financial position began to improve. The Lord fills those who are true in their word, deed and thought with His abundant blessings.
Dear Brother/ Sister, if you are found with faithfulness and honesty in your life, the Lord will surely grant His fulness of blessings. When you seek Him truly, He will reveal Himself through His act of filling you with His goodness. Moses was faithful in all his ways, and so the Lord used him mightily and gloriously. He is the same today, and so will surely pour His abundant blessings upon you.
5. THE CROWN OF LIFE ASSURED
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10).
Let us serve only the Lord in all situations, in difficulties and afflictions, faithfully. Let us trust Him fully. In difficult situations, we tend to seek remedies and healers elsewhere. In such situations, we should remain steadfast in our trust in Jesus Christ alone. When we remain so for a few days, months or years till the end, we would receive the crown of life. Thus, it would be a great blessing.
When we are thus steadfast in our faithfulness to him, He fills us with varied blessings. Let us examine in what matters we should be faithful.
FAITHFUL IN WHAT?
1. In Work
“So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him” (Daniel 6:4).
Faithfulness in the life of Daniel exalted him to the highest position in the kingdom. Not only that, he was successful in everything. Dear child of God, are you faithful in your job or business? If you prove to be disloyal, you would be courting curse in your life. Whether the master observes you or not, be faithful. Are you loyal to your parents, your spouse and children? How is your fidelity? If you do anything without the knowledge of your spouse or parents, you are in darkness, playing into the hand of the devil. Definitely you will lose your blessings and trust in the other.
A good brother went abroad and served in a company. He was faithful in all things at all times even in the absence of his superiors. The owner of the firm began to love him. He gave him special concessions. Yes, today when we are faithful and honest in our responsibilities, the Lord will bless us.
2. In Spirit
“A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.” (Prov. 11:13)
The spirit in us is given by the Lord as a lamp. If we seek the Lord in our spirit in truth, the Lord, who searches our hearts, truly blesses us accordingly. When we are faithful in the inner man, there would be outward exhibition of it in our acts and words. When the inner person is corrupt, it spoils every fabric of life in its entirety. Let us be honest and faithful to the Lord in the spirit and make us worthy of His blessings.
3. Faithful in Prayer
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18).
When we call upon God in truth, He is near to us. This is a great privilege. We give false excuses when someone calls us in extreme need. But the Lord is truly near in all circumstance at our side to help us in our need as we call upon Him truly.
In my life I was sick with heart disease and was in the Intensive Care Unit. My wife was seated near me and was reading the portions of the Bible loudly. A portion very much touched my heart. In my heart, I truly cried to the Lord and begged. What a wonder! I was healed miraculously. As we call upon Him in truth, He comes near and blesses us.
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Even in worship it should be in truth from the heart. It should not be for the sake of others and under compulsion. We should not cheat ourselves.
Elijah renovated the altar and worshipped the Lord in truth. So the fire from heaven came and licked up all the water there on the altar. He had victory over the enemy. The Lord honours all those who worship Him in truth.
4. FAITHFUL IN HELPING
“Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers.” (III John 5)
Even in helping others we should be faithful. It is an act of love, a privilege given to us as said in 1 John 3:16. It is our duty to do it to those who are without any help. When we do that for others, the Lord helps us.
Once I had only a small amount to despatch the magazine. That day a woman came with her daughter to pray for her. Her daughter was happy that she had got admission to the Teacher Training Course. But she had no money to pay for the course. She had prayed much for admission to the course. She asked me to pray for it. The Holy Spirit then urged me to give the amount I had with me. I had only that amount to pay for the stamps to send the magazines. If I gave her the money, then I would be put to difficulty. Finally, I yielded to the urge of the Holy Spirit to help her. So I gave all that I had and sent her away. They thanked me and went away. I did not know what to do. After some time, a brother came and said that his wife gave him some money to be given to me the day before. I asked him whether he had a particular amount with him. He was wonder-struck. He asked me how I knew it. I told him that I had informed my need to my Lord. When we help others in need, He helps us to meet our need.
5. Faithful in Ministry
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” (1Timothy 1:12).
The Lord expects every servant of God to be faithful. Not for name’s sake or for self-glorification, but to glorify the name of the Lord alone, we should work. When we are really concerned about winning souls for Christ from destruction, and pray, counsel and act, He will exalt us in many things.
Moses was faithful. The Lord Himself bears witness about it. Therefore, he was found to do miracles and signs through His grace. The Lord met all those who rose against him. He waged wars for him. Let us today commit to do the ministry faithfully.
May the Lord bless us!
In the service of Christ Jesus,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.