Be Faithful

“He who is faithful over a few things is a lord of cities. It does not matter whether you preach in Westminster Abbey, or teach a ragged class, so you be faithful. The faithfulness is all.”

—GEORGE MACDONALD

Many a man proclaims his own loving-kindness and goodness, but a faithful man who can find?

—Proverbs 20:6

Being faithful and seeing things through to completion is something very few people seem to know how to do. One may think giving up on something is easier, but the truth is, not living up to commitments can really complicate life. Unfaithful people end up with a lot of unfinished projects and a lifetime of making constant changes in job, church, relationships, and other important decisions. In reality, all these changes end up being more difficult than if people were faithful to begin with and finished what they started.

Even when it comes to marriage, many people give up when the going is rough; they get a divorce and soon they marry someone else and the cycle starts all over again. I always tell people to remember that even if the grass is greener on the other side, it will still need to be mowed. The fact is, any relationship worth having will have some imperfections and need some work. If we cannot work through conflict, we will never have good relationships.

If Dave had given up on me in the early years of our marriage, I might not be teaching God’s Word all over the world today. Many people are what I call “diamonds in the rough.” They have tremendous capability, and all they need is for someone to stick with them while they are shaped and polished. God is faithful and we need to be the same way. I encourage you to pray long and hard before you give up on anything. There may be a few times in life when quitting something is the only option, but quite often, giving up is the devil’s trick to keep us frustrated and miserable. Stay faithful to what you’ve promised to do and believe that God will reward you for it.