What can help us to grow faithfulness? In addition to removing the four roadblocks we talked about in the previous post, here are four suggestions that might help you grow faithfulness in your life.
Serve people. Is there someone you have a bad relationship with? Serve them. Reach out in kindness to them. Sometimes it takes time. Faithfulness requires time.
Pray consistently. Jesus once told the story of lady who prayed and didn’t give up. (I refer to the story here. It is found in Luke 18.)
Do things that are hard for you. This is called being sacrificial. Faithfulness is hard. We love “hit and run” serving that is quick, easy and doesn’t require a lot. Faithfulness.
Give until it hurts. The story of King David in ancient Israel is a powerful example of this. Turn to 2 Samuel 24:18, page 263. David took a census of his army, and he admits that he did so unfaithfully to God. Perhaps he was arrogant about the size of his army, or perhaps he was depending on the might of his army rather than depending on the power of God. Either way, the result was a plague upon the people, and David is very upset. So he visits a man named Araunah, offers to buy his wheat threshing floor, so David can build an altar there and sacrifice to the Lord to atone for his sins. Araunah says, “King, I give it all to you, and in fact, I’ll give you the wood and animal for the sacrifice.” An awesome gesture, but David’s answer is perhaps even more awesome, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord that which cost me nothing.” David demonstrates faithfulness after faithlessness.
This is similar to what Paul says in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Giving of ourselves sacrificially is faithfulness.
Finally, remember that when we blow it, God is faithful! There is always grace.
Some people fear that grace gives us a license to be unfaithful. When we know that if we sin, God will always forgive, we could be tempted to sin even more.
Paul says otherwise in Titus 2:11ff, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
God’s grace teaches us to be faithful!!!
Let us walk in step with the Spirit by growing the fruit of faithfulness.
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