Check Your Work: Are You Faithful?

Have you ever looked in the mirror, noticed a problem, and then walked away without changing it? In James 1:21-25, we find that being a hearer of the word, and not a doer, “is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” We’re looking at Wisdom In Real Life so we can gain wisdom from the Word, honestly compare ourselves to what’s written, and then APPLY IT and come up as needed in real life with our decisions, social circle, work habits, and finances. Today, let’s talk about our work and faithfulness. 

Real-Life Example

Let’s start off with this testimony about using wisdom with work and being faithful.

The Rich Man and the Steward

As mentioned in the video, in Luke 16:1 we find a very interesting story of a rich man and his steward. The rich man accused his steward, an employee and manager in his household, of wasting goods. He required that the man give an account, or lose his position, so the steward went to the rich man’s debtors and took care of business. He was able to get back the majority of what they owed his lord, so the lord commended or praised the steward “because he had done wisely.” There is wisdom in handling your natural business. 

Jesus concluded the story saying, “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8). Their wisdom is not concerning salvation or spiritual things, but concerning natural business down here. Unfortunately, sometimes the children of God are not faithful, slacking off at work, giving less than their best, barely getting by when we should be the BEST workers as we do our jobs at work, but also at school and at home, in the service of the Lord (Col. 3:17-25; 4:1; Eph. 6:5-9).

Are You Faithful?

The key question that touches everything God has made us a steward of or put in our trust is: ARE YOU FAITHFUL? In Luke 16:10-12, Jesus told His disciples, 

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” 

We think sometimes when we get to the next stage, or move to something bigger, we’ll be faithful, but the Bible is clear: the one who is faithful in the least, faithful in the small thing right now, will also be faithful in much. When it comes to the things God has given us, no matter how big or small, He wants us to be faithful! 

A faithful person is trustworthy, dependable, and reliable. The Old Testament Hebrew words for faithful, faithfully, and faithfulness (S:529; 530; 539; 571) all share the same root word (S:517): mother. This makes so much sense, because for many people, a mother is a picture of faithfulness — the one on earth they can consistently call on and lean on, no matter what.

Why Do We Need To Be Faithful?

In life, we often find out over time, many people are NOT faithful. You can’t count on them. Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” A faithful man is rare! It’s time to check ourselves and see, are we faithful, and if not, how can we be more faithful? And the key is in this verse: most people will proclaim their own goodness and say how great they are. But if you ask those who work over and alongside of you at work, home, or school, would they say they can depend on you? Do you have excuses or fruit? 

Dealing with an unfaithful person is described in Proverbs 25:19: “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” Ouch! That’s unpleasant! We want to get to the point where we are like a faithful messenger who doesn’t stress and frustrate the ones who send him, but instead he “refresheth the soul of his masters” (Prov. 25:13). And don’t forget, we want to hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21). God won’t lie though and say we were faithful if we weren’t! It’s time to let God help us be faithful.

If we are faithful, Proverbs 28:20 lets us know, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings.” In Luke 16, God made plain, if you’re not faithful where you are at, why would anyone give you more? Think about it: If you trust someone with part of a small project at work and school, and they completely ruin it and put forth minimal effort at the last minute, why would you have them take the lead on the final presentation? If you let someone use your bike and they take horrible care of it, why would you trust them with your car? They haven’t been faithful, and we miss out on things God wants to give us because we’re not faithful where we’re at! God can give the faithful more because they have been faithful in what they have already. 

Daniel’s Example

Daniel is such a great example of this. While he was in a foreign land, Daniel took care of his business. Even though Darius set 120 princes over the kingdom, Daniel was “preferred over the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him” (Dan. 6:3). He did his natural job with such excellence that he could be trusted with responsibility and in leadership. It was to the point that “the king thought to set him over the whole realm” (Daniel 6:3).

Even when people tried to find an issue with Daniel concerning the kingdom, they couldn’t! Daniel 6:4 records, “they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.” WOW! What a testimony: he was so consistently faithful at his job, that they couldn’t find a single issue! He was faithful!

It’s time to check our work. God is so faithful and merciful to us, that He gives us His Word and the wisdom therein so we can step up with our work habits, and be found faithful. While we have a chance at work, school, or home, let’s give God our best, represent Him well, and be diligent and faithful with what He’s allowed us to put our hands to do.