Faithfulness - The Gateway To Greatness : Pastor Tony Samuels
A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Proverbs 28:20 (KJV)
One of the greatest qualities you can possess as a Christian is faithfulness. Faithful means: true to one’s word, promises, vows; steady in allegiance or affection; to be loyal and constant. Faithfulness is a hot commodity, but it is not as common as you would think. Look at what the Bible says about it in Proverbs 20:6 (KJV): Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness; but a faithful man, who can find? This is amazing, that faithfulness is not a common thing; it’s actually hard to find! Yet, as Christians, this is supposed to be a quality that we manifest in our lives.
This is not something you have to work up; this is something you already possess. You just have to walk in it. Look at what the Bible says in Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV): But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. So faithfulness is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Faithfulness is not a work of the flesh; it is a work of the Holy Spirit. This means it is one of His characteristics that should manifest in your life. If you will begin to walk in faithfulness in every area of your life, you will see great blessing begin to show up.
Establishing faithfulness takes time. Time will show if we are faithful. Can you do the right thing over a long period of time? Is your commitment temporary or permanent? Matthew 25:19-21 (TPT) says, After much time had passed, the master returned to settle accounts with his servants. The one who was entrusted with five thousand gold coins came and brought ten thousand, saying, ‘See, I have doubled your money.’ Commending his servant, the master replied, ‘You have done well, and proven yourself to be my loyal and trustworthy servant. Because you have been a faithful steward to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more. Notice, this master returned after a long time to see and evaluate what this steward had done with the goods he entrusted him with. If you don’t think God is watching how we handle what has been given to our lives, you are greatly mistaken.
We are either qualifying or disqualifying ourselves for greater things. Because this steward faithfully handled what was given to him, it opened the door for greater blessings to come into his life. I know we all want more, but what are we doing with what has been given to us? Luke 16:10 (NKJV) says, He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. How you handle things now is a reflection of how you will handle things in the future. That’s why faithfulness is not about waiting for an event; it’s more about our identity. Your faithfulness should not be postdated; it should be who you are, whether you are the janitor or the CEO. It’s the quality that you possess at every level of your life.
When I talk about faithfulness, I am not talking about perfection; I am talking about direction. You have a direction, and that is always to please and do what is right before the Lord. I love the story of King David. Even though David made many mistakes, he still had something in him that he had to fulfill the will of God for his life. Look at what the Bible says about him in Acts 13:22 (AMPC): And when He had deposed him, He raised up David to be their king; of him He bore witness and said, I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart, who will do all My will and carry out My program fully. David, despite his mistakes, stayed committed and faithful to the will of God for His life. David’s faithfulness to God trumped his mistakes.
Faithfulness is what every employer is looking for; faithfulness is what every wife and husband want from their spouse; faithfulness is what the Lord is looking for. So, people of God, let’s be faithful in the things that the Lord has entrusted us with, and greatness will be our portion.
