Faithfulness: A Key to Living in God's Favor

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1

There are two people in the Bible who possess good names for all of eternity, and lived in God’s favor while serving Him on earth. God did many signs, miracles and wonders through both of these men. Their names are Moses and Jesus, and faithfulness was a cornerstone of their character and ministry according to Hebrews 3:1-2. It says, “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house.”

Scripture is loaded with benefits promised to those who remain faithful to the Lord. The Lord preserves faithful people (Psalm 31:23). The Lord will not forsake His faithful ones (Psalm 37:28). The Lord guards the lives of his faithful ones, and delivers them from the hand of the wicked (Psalm 97:10). Finally, those who faithfully abide in Jesus, live in His love and serve Him well, are brought into a greater intimate friendship with our Lord (John 15:14-15).

Can you identify a time when you were a recipient of God’s favor?

Faithfulness: A Requirement for Godly Service

Apostle Paul is a man who became a powerful disciple of Jesus Christ. As a disciple of Jesus, Apostle Paul was faithful. 1 Timothy 1:12 Apostle Paul writes, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.”

Apostle Paul also understood the importance of obeying the Lord’s command to make disciples, and invested his life into his spiritual son Timothy. Why did he choose Timothy to carry on his mission of spreading the gospel of Christ after his death? We find the answer in Philippians 2:19-21. It says, “19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."

In the last letter of his life, facing certain death in prison, Apostle Paul reminds Timothy of the importance of making disciples. He instructed Timothy to find men who possessed a certain character trait. Can you guess which one Apostle Paul emphasized in 2 Timothy 2:2? It says, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable (faithful) men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

Faithfulness is a requirement for Godly service!

Would you consider yourself someone who has walked faithfully with the Lord as a Christ-follower?

Do The Right Thing!

My senior year in college, while playing basketball at Florida State University, I got into an interesting and insightful conversation with one of my teammates Byron Wells while sitting on the bench during our game against the North Carolina Tarheels. At the time of the conversation, we were winning by about twenty points over the Tarheels. I initiated the conversation by commenting on how we were going to blow out our opponent. Byron, quickly rebuked me, and then declared that the Tarheels would narrow the score.

Since we were dominating the game, I told him there was no way they would make a comeback. I then asked him what made him so confident about his prediction. He communicated to me that his certainty was based upon the Tarheels ability to consistently execute their offensive system no matter what the scoreboard indicated. Even though the Tarheels were not achieving their desired results on offense, they kept executing and doing the right things.

Byron Wells was a prophet that night. North Carolina did make a major comeback and almost ended up winning the game. Even when their shots were not going in the basket, the well-coached Tarheels continued to do the right things on the basketball court, ensuring that they would always be in the game.

Galatians 6:9-10 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Christ-followers should be the most consistent and stable people on the planet. We should always do the right things no matter what circumstances we face. A key to positioning yourself for victory is proper execution. In other words, we should do the right thing every time. As we continue to do what is right, we are guaranteed to gain the victory over our adversary. We will reap a harvest if we keep doing good deeds and don’t give up.

Are you doing the right thing?