Be Faithful

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12).

You can be taught a skill in life. Abilities can be acquired through study and diligence in a certain discipline. But nobody can teach you character. Character is something that only you can develop. Faithfulness is a character issue, and is a quality that can take you right into the perfect will of the Father for your life.

For me, I knew that God had called me into ministry. But He didn’t tell me what kind of ministry, or even how to pursue what He wanted. I learned that faithfulness is top priority with the Father. And to find His purposes for life and ministry, I learned to pursue being faithful above all else.

After graduating from Bible School, the Lord led me to be faithful in my local church. No one asked me to do anything. I just wanted to be a blessing, so I looked for an opportunity to help out weekly in my local church. To begin with, I helped prepare for weekly services by assisting the maintenance crew as they set up 1200 chairs twice a week. It was grueling work. There was no spotlight or pat on the back. I just had a heart wanting to be faithful to the Father in some way.

I was eventually hired as part of the church maintenance staff, and later on joined the pastoral team of the church assisting the pastor in counseling. The door opener was faithfulness. Eventually, that same faithfulness opened up the pastoral role the Father had called me to when He first placed ministry in my heart as a teenager.

At every level, the Father looks for faithfulness before promotion. Don’t try to make your own way. Prove your character by being a faithful person at whatever lever you are in life right now.

The faithful abound with blessings. Those that are faithful in the small tasks will most likely be faithful in the larger responsibilities. Seek to be faithful today. Tomorrows opportunities are opened by the faithful deeds and the faithful attitudes you sow today.