Faithfulness: an aspect of loyalty

“You saw for yourself what the Lord did to you at Baal-peor. There the Lord your God destroyed everyone who had worshiped Baal, the god of Peor.  But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today—every one of you. Deut 4:3-5

Confidentiality is a virtue of the loyal, as loyalty is the virtue of faithfulness.
Edwin Louis Cole

What it means to be faithful
Proverbs 11:13:

A talebearer (gossip) reveals secrets, 
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter (NKJV)

A faithful one will not disclose anything unless the honor of God and the good of society require it. This may imply that the honor of God is part of the good of the society. The first part of this Scripture talks about gossip. Even if you know some things about anyone, if it doesn’t glorify God and benefit everyone else, it should be kept to yourself.

Proverbs 12:17:

An honest (faithful) witness tells the truth;
a false witness tells lies

It is good for all to dread and detest the sin of lying, and be governed by honesty. To me “honesty is my policy.”

Proverbs 13:17:

A wicked messenger falls into trouble, 
But a faithful ambassador brings health (NKJV)

Those that are wicked, and false to Christ and to the souls of men, do mischief, and fall into mischief; but those that are faithful, find sound words healing to others and themselves.

Proverbs 14:35:

A king rejoices in wise (faithful) servants
but is angry with those who disgrace him

The great King rewards those who are faithful to their duties. They complete their work and are not half-hearted about it. They don’t do a partial job and think they can get away with it.

Proverbs 15:31:

If you listen to constructive criticism,
you will be at home among the wise

Faithful friendly reproof helps spiritual life and leads to eternal life. It may not be easy to hear but it is beneficial to receive.

Galatians 5:22-23:

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law

We ought to be faithful to the royal laws (see The Christian Identity: why I see Him as King) that the King has placed for us. If we are not going to walk in the flesh, we will need to learn to be faithful to all the conditions He’s laid out in order to receive the promises.

Condition
Philippians 4:15:

As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this 

Promise
Philippians 4:19:

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Condition
Psalm 37:4:

Take delight in the Lord

Promise
and he will give you your heart’s desires

Condition
Matt 6:33:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness

Promise
and all these things shall be added to you.

It’s not like we don’t know what some of these passages are. It’s amazing how some of the most common passages we read or are taught, tend to be easy to miss. We wonder why some of the good stuff, that is the testimonies, are not happening to us. It’s only because we don’t have the keen eye  to be able to see the revelation found in the Scriptures. Can you find the condition and promise located in Mark 16:15-18?

 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

The example of faithfulness: where true religion lies
James 1:27:

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world 

In the end it’s not about what we may want to be or want for ourselves, but rather how we can make someone else’s life better. If we make sure we give it our all with the little we are given, that is, help someone with the little we have to the best of our abilities, then that makes easier to see the opportunities that others would easily miss!

Proverbs 19:17:

If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
and he will repay you! 

The Lord is faithful in doing that which He said He will do (see Isaiah 55:11). If we lend to Him by lending to the poor, then we get blessed in the process. A good way to motivate yourself to do this is by thinking of it as the Lord owing you every time you help the poor!

Matt 25:35-40:

…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’  

When we go out there and get involved in reaching out to those less fortunate than us, the King sees this and is pleased. If we are not able to volunteer, then at least some provisions and prayer for those who are, will suffice.

The main reason I’m bringing the subject of the poor is because some people start out well in assisting with charity cases and things like that, but fail to continue for long periods of time. There is no faithfulness or loyalty. The idea is to make you aware that this is what’s in the Lord’s heart. Since it’s very dear to Him, we should take it very seriously as well.

Part 2 will feature some examples of people who were faithful and the rewards they got as a result.

Related Posts:
7 reasons why it’s more blessed to give than to receive
Generosity- Ours and God’s by Ecumenical Institute
Be Faithful In And Out Of Season by The Clay’s Thoughts.