The Bible teaches us that the issue God focuses on more than
anything else in the life of a Christian is his or her
faithfulness. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story about two
employees who were given the very same promotion because they had
both doubled their employer’s investment, and even though one of
them had been given a much larger amount to begin with, both were
given the same commendation:
”
Well done, my good and faithful servant.
”
The Bible teaches us that the issue God focuses on more than anything else in the life of a Christian is his or her faithfulness. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story about two employees who were given the very same promotion because they had both doubled their employer’s investment, and even though one of them had been given a much larger amount to begin with, both were given the same commendation: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Through this story, Jesus is teaching us that God is not going to hold you and I accountable for the amount of intelligence, spiritual gifts, abilities, wealth or anything else He gives us; we will be judged according to our faithfulness in using whatever amount He has given us.
If this is the criteria I’m going to be evaluated on, it would be wise to prepare now. But how do I get prepared? What can I do so that God will say, “well done, good and faithful servant” when I stand before Him? Well, the Bible tells us several things God is going to use to evaluate our faithfulness.
One area God is going to evaluate are my priorities. Am I more attentive to God’s interests or my own? In Philippians 2:20-22, Paul says this about Timothy: “I have no one else like him. He takes a genuine interest in your welfare. Most people are looking out for themselves, with little concern for the things of Jesus, but Timothy has proved himself… he has served with me in the work of the gospel.”
How did Timothy prove that he had his priorities right? By taking a genuine interest in the welfare of others. One of the Bible’s central themes is that Christians serve God by serving others. Faithful people move in the opposite direction of popular culture; they go against the philosophy that asks, “what’s in it for me?”
Marriage is a good illustration. Some people think that faithfulness in marriage only has to do with staying out of other people’s beds, but that’s only part of it. When your career is your “mistress” you are also being unfaithful, not just to your spouse, but to God, because you are violating one of the most important promises you made to Him and to your mate.
A second area God will look at in evaluating our faithfulness is our integrity. Why? Because if you are a Christian, your family, friends and neighbors aren’t going to judge Christianity by the lifestyle of Christ… they’re going to judge it by your lifestyle.
A third area God will look at is how faithful we have been in keeping our promises. Proverbs 25:14 says, “People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.” Proverbs 20:25 adds, “Think carefully before you promise… you might regret it later.” You need to be careful about what you promise. Why? Well, let me ask you, is it easier to make commitments, or keep them? Is it easier to get into a relationship, or out of one? Is it easier to get into debt, or out of it? Faithfulness entails keeping promises, so be careful to do what you commit to.
There are other areas we could look at, but, in essence, faithfulness is taking care of what God has given us. And since every good thing we have was given to us by God, we should heed the words of 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Those who are trusted with something must be faithful.”
Let us be faithful with whatever God has given us, realizing that everything we have is just on temporary loan anyway. After all, when was the last time you saw a hearse with a U-Haul attached to it?
