Be Faithful, Do Something
Christ Tells Us To Go, It’s Time To Get Active.
Faithfulness is an action, not a feeling or mental acceptance of the sovereignty of God. You must repent, confess Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.
But that’s only the beginning of faith and faithfulness. Faithfulness is intentional and requires effort, often to the point of sacrifice.
When you are faithful, you are loyal, reliable, and take action, which reflects the commitment you made when you first confessed and believed. Looking out at the Christian landscape, it’s obvious that many of our brothers view faithfulness as a passive, action free, mental state which requires little to no effort.
This could not be further from the truth because to be faithful is to be reliable and constant in performing duties.
Let’s explore why faithfulness is an action and why sitting around, doing nothing, has not maintained, let alone cultivate, a productive Christianity. I’ll also give some actionable steps that I’m taking to be a more faithful servant of our King, Jesus Christ.
First, let’s define the terminology.
What Does Faithful Actually Mean?
Strong’s Greek translation of Faithful is from the word **πιστός**, pronounced pis-tos’.
Strong’s Concordance defines this word as “objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful.”
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon states that the faithful are “worthy of trust” and can “be relied on.” The Lexicon also states:
persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
(2 Timothy 2:2 KJV)
Perhaps we can say that being faithful is to execute the command of Jesus in a trustworthy manner.
The most common word in Strong’s Concordance for Hebrew is **אָמַן**, pronounced `aw-man’`.
Strong’s defines this word to mean “to build up or support. figuratively to render (or be) firm.”
In the Webster’s 1828 dictionary, we can see the same ideas in English:
“Firm in adherence to the truth and to the duties of religion.”
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, definition 1 for Faithful
“constant in the performance of duties or services; exact in attending to commands” Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, definition 3 for Faithful
It’s quite clear that faithfulness is not a state of mind or a feeling. It’s an active commitment and loyalty to Jesus Christ. Commitment takes effort, and that effort must be intentional.
Every choice we make, every action we perform, must reflect our commitment to the King.
You’re Faithful to an Employer, So Why Not Your King?
We all should have jobs, and being faithful in this context means staying committed to your employer. We do this by us contributing value to the company in order for it to achieve success.
This includes being dependable and reliable. You must take initiative in order to meet expectations. Real faithfulness to your job also causes you to have a commitment to learning and improving to further drive the company to success.
This example makes it easy to see that faithfulness requires effort and action. We can’t sit around and stir up feelings of loyalty or commitment. We have to pursue faithfulness by setting our actions under the commands of Christ.
Sitting around and doing nothing is the exact opposite faithfulness and in direct contradiction to our King’s command before his ascension.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, *even* unto the end of the world. Amen.
(Matthew 28:18-20 KJV)
5 Practical Steps To Faithful Servitude
Read the Bible daily.
We can’t know God’s commands if we don’t read his written word.
Find the time to read the Bible and protect that time.
I recommend reading a chapter from psalms, proverbs, and one other book each day.
Pray about everything.
Prayer is how we communicate with God.
This may be by venting our frustrations, pleading for help, or telling Him how thankful we are for all He’s provided.
Pray needs to be as effortless as breathing.
Find your “Life Niche”.
What are you good at, what do you love to do, and what will help others? This is your “life niche”.
Think back on your life and see what areas you always find yourself in.
If you are young, this may be difficult, so try many things and in time you will find your “life niche.”
Commit Your “Life Niche” to Christ.
Whatever your life niche is, commit it to Christ.
Do it for Him and to build up His kingdom.
No matter if your life niche is plumbing, coding, or baking. Whatever your niche is, commit that service to Christ.
Go and do!
Repeat points one and two over and over.
In the gaps between your prayers and Bible reading, go execute your life niche for Christ.
If your niche is not directly “Christian”, such as woodworking or writing code, then do it in a Christian manner.
Put in the Work!
Faithfulness is an action that requires effort and intention. Now that we have a better understanding of the concept of faithfulness, we can work towards the actions that will not only maintain but cultivate the kingdom of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ.
Brothers, pray because everything depends on God, but work as if everything depends on you.
Attention: My Brother in Christ
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