Faithfulness

Faithfulness is a word which is not known to humanity any more. Betrayal by a friend who was trusted, by a spouse, by children, in working relationships, and more often even among Christian circles are becoming the normal way of life. Many people love to have dogs and when I asked them why, they would invariably give a common answer. They would say they are our best friend, and it is very faithful to us. People have been betrayed in life so much, even by their best friends, we have almost lost the word ‘faithfulness’ in human dictionary. If there is any term which catches the essence of man’s character at this time and era it is one word that is ‘faithlessness’. Would you join with me as we explore together the true meaning of faithfulness and why it is worth Biblically?

The dictionary then compares "faithful" with its synonyms:
Faithful implies steadfast adherence to a person or thing to which one is bound as by an oath or obligation; loyal implies undeviating allegiance to a person, cause, institution, etc. which one feels morally bound to support or defend;
Constant suggests freedom from fickleness in affections or loyalties; Staunch implies such a strong allegiance to one's principles or purposes as not to be turned aside by any cause; resolute stresses unwavering determination, often in adhering to one's personal ends or aims1.

Other synonyms include dedicated, steadfast, devoted, dependable, accurate, true, conscientious, dutiful, careful, scrupulous and thorough.
Faithless means "not keeping faith; dishonest; disloyal; unreliable; undependable; unbelieving." Its synonyms include doubting, treacherous and unscrupulous.
faithfulness noun loyalty, devotion, fidelity, constancy, dependability, trustworthiness, fealty, adherence She and her husband valued faithfulness as the cornerstone of their marriage.2

In the Greek of the New Testament: The word used for faithfulness in the New Testament is the noun pistis, which has both an active and a passive sense or use. First, in its active use, it often refers to “faith, belief, trust.” But in the passive sense, it means “faithfulness, reliability, fidelity.”3

Faithfulness in final analysis hinges very strongly upon what we value as important combined with commitment. It could be a friendship, employer, the spouse, family name, athletic team, or even a small thing. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away”! 2 Tim 3:1-5. The above passage again talks about 19 characteristics with ‘lovers of themselves’ which again points to the character which is faithfulness.

Joseph was a character in the Bible whom God blessed for his faithfulness towards God in all circumstances. In his life he was rejected, kidnapped, enslaved, imprisoned, and he was in a life situation where his family thought genuinely he was dead and gone! Although his brothers were unfaithful to him, he graciously forgave them, and helped them during the time of great famine and shared his prosperity with them. When we read Book of Genesis chapter 45, we see that finally, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and helped them in trouble.
How many of us would share our prosperity with our brothers who hurt us very badly?

Joseph promises to take care of his father and all the family during the years of famine and he was in a position to do so and he was the lord of Egypt. Pharaoh was also very respectful of Joseph, in gratitude because Joseph served for Pharaoh very faithfully all his life, and brought much good to Pharaoh. Like wise, Joseph was very respectful to his father and brethren and gave them all the provisions and blessed them.

We see the faithfulness of Joseph in God’s Word; Gen 47: 1-6. His faithfulness affected positively his entire family, his father and his brothers. Joseph was thrown in the pit by his brothers, eventually sold and ended up in prison. He would have wondered about his future many times when he was going through very rough life situations. Yet he had unwavering faith in God, and instead of despairing he loved God, obeyed Him and did what was right. God indeed honored him and blessed the work of his hands for his faithfulness and he became the lord of Egypt and in a position of power and authority to bless people around him because of his hard work and faithfulness. God blessed the work of his hands and he found favor in the sight of God and Pharaoh.

Joseph demonstrated how God forgives us and showers us with goodness even though we have sinned against Him. The same forgiveness and blessings will be ours if we ask for them. Here there is a comparison between Joseph and our Lord Jesus Christ. He was exalted above all powers and dominion and His will is that all that are His should be with Him one day, where He is; Jn 17: 17:24. Are we willing?

Notes:

1.The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
www..org/index.cfm/...sr/CT/.../Fruit-of-Spirit-Faithfulness.htm
Faithlessness is the essence of mankind's general character at the end of the age. However, faithfulness is to be a hallmark of a true Christian. How.

2. Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

3. Mark #14: Faithfulness | Bible.org - Worlds Largest Bible Study Site
bible.org/seriespage/mark-14-faithfulnessCached - Similar Faithfulness, then, is a quality that God wants to reproduce in us through the salvation that comes in Christ. It is another of the qualities of maturity to be sought in...

Book References:

1.Payer To Move Your Mountains, “Powerful Prayers for The Spirit-Filled Life.” (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000)

2.Practical Psychology for Pastors, William R. Miller, Kathleen A. Jackson (The University of Mexico), second Edition, Prentice –Hall Inc, 1995,1985, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458.

3.Jay E.Adams, ‘The Christian Counselor’s Manual, ‘The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling’ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973)

4. John G. Kruis, ‘Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling; (Grand rapids: Baker Books, Third edition, p. 169-170)

5.David G. Benner & Peter C. Hill, ‘Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling’ Second Edition, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985, 1999)

6.Dr. Larry Crabb, “Effective Biblical Counseling” How Caring Christians can Become Capable Counselors, (Hammersmith: Marshall Pickering, 1985), p. 100-104)

7.The Matthew Henry Study Bible, ‘King James version’ The best of Matthew Henry’s Notes in a Handy One Volume Reference Bible, World Bible Publishers, Inc; 1994, Iowa Falls, U.S.A.

8.David Seeking A Heart Like His, ‘Beth Moore’ Life Way Christian resources, Nashville, Tennessee, 2010, pgs: 206-210.

9.Jay E. Adams, ‘Critical Stages of Biblical Counseling’ Finishing Well, Breaking Through, Getting Started, (New Jersey: Zondervan, 2002)

10.Jay E. Adams, ‘How to Help People Change’ The Four-step Biblical Process, (Grand rapids: Zondervan, 1986)

11.John F. MacArthur, JR. Wayne A. Mack & The Master’s College Faculty, ‘Introduction To Biblical Counseling’, “A Basic Guide To The Principles And Practice Of Counseling”(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,1994)

12.Jay E. Adams, ‘Lectures on Counseling’ (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p.192-203)

13.The Holy Bible, New King James version, Women of Destiny Bible, “Women Mentoring women Through the Scriptures” A Spirit Filled Life Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, Copyright 1982.

14.Deuteronomy becoming Holy People, Stephen D. Eyre, p:32-26; IVP connect, An imprint of Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1998, 2004.

15.Metzeger, Bruce M. (ed); Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5.

16.Mitchell, Stephen, 1987. The Book of Job. San Francisco: North Point Press. Cited in R. T. Pennock, 1999, Tower of Babel, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

17.Stormie Omartin, “The power of a praying wife”, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene 97402; copyright @1997; pgs81-85.

18.Timothy keller, ‘The Reason for God” Belief in an age of Skepticism, Published by Penguin Group, USA, New York 10014, Copyright,@ 2008.

Website References:

1.The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
www.cgg.org/index.cfm/...sr/CT/.../Fruit-of-Spirit-Faithfulness.htm
Faithlessness is the essence of mankind's general character at the end of the age. However, faithfulness is to be a hallmark of a true Christian. How.

2.faithfulness - definition of faithfulness by the Free Online Dictionary ...
www.thefreedictionary.com/faithfulness
Adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person, cause, or idea; loyal. 2. Engaging in sex only with one's spouse or only with one's partner in a sexual relationship.

3.Faithful | Define Faithful at Dictionary.com
dictionary.reference.com/browse/faithful
a. the believers in and loyal adherents of a religious faith, esp Christianity. b. any group of loyal and steadfast followers. 'faithfully. —adv. 'faithfulness. —n ...

4.Mark #14: Faithfulness | Bible.org - Worlds Largest Bible Study Site
bible.org/seriespage/mark-14-faithfulness
Faithfulness, then, is a quality that God wants to reproduce in us through the salvation that comes in Christ. It is another of the qualities of maturity to be sought in ...

5.Faithfulness Quotes - BrainyQuote
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/faithfulness.html
Faithfulness Quotes from BrainyQuote, an extensive collection of quotations by famous authors, celebrities, and newsmakers.

6.Faithfulness Synonyms, Faithfulness Antonyms | Thesaurus.com
thesaurus.com/browse/faithfulness
Synonyms for faithfulness at Thesaurus.com with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. Dictionary and Word of the Day.

7.Great Is Thy Faithfulness
www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/g/r/e/greatitf.htm
Words: Thomas Chisholm, 1923. Music: William Runyan.

8.Scriptures On Faithfulness
www.heavensinspirations.com/word-faithfulness.html
These are scriptures from God's word on faithfulness. All the scriptures I've taken from the Amplified Bible unless otherwise stated. If you click on the scripture ...

9.Faithfulness
www.spirithome.com/faithfulness.html
Faithfulness is a quality the Holy Spirit grows within you. It holds life together. How you can make it a way of life for yourself, and toward others.