All my life I have wanted to see Yellowstone National Park. The majestic mountains, towering waterfalls, and, (at a distance), the grizzly bears and wolves. But of all the things to see, I’ve wanted most to see “Old Faithful” erupt. There are many other geysers there and some of them are much more spectacular but, more people flock to see Old Faithful than any other! WHY? Because you can almost set your watch by her. She shows up when she’s supposed to and does not disappoint you when she arrives.
Faithfulness is a quality that all of us admire. And its so rare these days people will drive miles to see it!
Thousands of years ago Solomon said (Prov 20:6), “A faithful man who can find?”
Things haven’t changed much. Faithfulness is still hard to find.
Faithfulness is SUCH a big deal! You can have a personality that wows crowds—an intelligence that confounds crowds…or be the hardest worker in the crowd but if your NOT dependable you make people miserable. People admire dependability and deplore irresponsibility.
A poll was taken and people were asked: “What Trait in people do you dislike the most? What flaw in other people’s character do you find most difficult to tolerate?” ON TOP OF MOST PEOPLE’S LIST: Unfaithfulness.
Several said, “I hate it when people say one thing and do another.”
Another said: “It drives me crazy when people promise to come through and they fall through.”
They may have chosen different ways to express it, but they were describing UNFAITHFULNESS. They’re describing people who are undependable, disloyal, inconsistent, or not true to their word.
Are you faithful? Are you dependable? Do you keep your word?
Faithfulness is about integrity, honestly, loyalty. Faithfulness is about being trustworthy. Again, faithfulness is a quality that all of us admire. And if we don't we ought to because I can tell you this, not only does God admire it , He requires it.
Two main points we need to get:
#1 Faithfulness is about BELIEVING IN God and TAKING HIM AT HIS WORD.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
Numbers 23:19 (NIV) “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”
Psalm 145:13c (NIV) “The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NIV) “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”
#2 Faithfulness is about LIVING FOR God and NOT FOLLOWING THE CROWD
The temptation is always to follow the crowd. When you look at the life of Christ—He was often tempted to follow the crowd. Satan wanted Jesus to be self-serving and to use His powers for His own gain—BUT JESUS wouldn’t listen. Jesus’ own family called Him crazy and hoped He’d quit and follow them home BUT JESUS wouldn’t listen.
Christ’s solution for crowd control is our solution: Whenever Jesus was tempted to follow the crowd, He would get away from the crowd and get alone with God the Father!
WHEN you get alone with HIM it would benefit you to read and study 2 Timothy 2:1–7 (NIV) which says, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”
The Apostle Paul gives us three people to consider: A Soldier, an Athlete, and a Farmer and as you study you discover...
1. You are called to be a warrior, so don’t forget it.
Your call to be a soldier must never be forgotten. You have been chosen by God to be a soldier and He placed you in the specific battle that you are fighting right now.
We must never expect your duty to be comfortable. People won’t always like us. People will misunderstand us and say all kids of things about us. Life on the frontlines is difficult—we are assaulted from every side. We should expect it and lean hard on our fellow recruits. Remember, you have been called to a battle — not a picnic – but you are not in this battle alone. I’ve got your back—I hope you have mine.
As a soldier we should seek to live our lives so that our commanding officer is never disappointed. We endure hardship in order to please HIM — not ourselves or someone else.
2. You are called to be a winner, so don’t blow it.
Two key things that can weaken your walk — DISTRACTION and DISQUALIFICATION.
DISTRACTION: An athlete that expects to win can only focus on one thing — the finish line. He cannot get caught up in worrying about the other runners, the crowd, or the conditions on the track.
DISQUALIFICATION: The other thing an athlete must do is compete according to the rules.
3.You are called to be a worker, so don’t neglect it.
The metaphor of a HARDWORKING farmer speaks to the requirement that we be faithful in sowing the Word. To always be ready (in season and out of season) to give the reason for the hope we have…We are called to plant seeds — NOT TO BE the sun, or the soil, or the rain or the miraculous mechanism ordained by God that causes the plant to grow.
Do what you are called to do—be faithful to the ONE you are called to serve—He (God) will make things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 (NIV) “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
I finish this study with this last reminder:
2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NIV) “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”
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