Faithfulness to God

From: All About God.com

QUESTION: Why is faithfulness to God an important part of a Christian’s life? 

ANSWER: 

Without faithfulness to God there can be no Christian life. Christianity is based first on faith that God is, and then that through Christ Jesus we can be forgiven and are saved. Our faithfulness is a commitment to adhere to the One God who is true and supreme and to keep His commandments.

In fact, the first two of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), deal directly with our being faithful to God. “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” These are the words given directly from God to Moses for all people, for all time. 

Since God assumes a covenant relationship with His people, He is declaring that He will not tolerate unfaithfulness and competition with anything else. An idol can be in the form of anything that you might place in a higher priority over God. This includes false images of worship or placing anything in our lives that has preeminence over God.

What are the benefits of faithfulness to God?
To some, perhaps the most beneficial aspect of faithfulness to God would include the fact that the faithful will not suffer God’s judgment. Until our judgment day, there are many other benefits while we are here on earth.

• Psalm 37:28 – “For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.”
• Proverbs 3:12 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring your prosperity.”
• Proverbs 16:6-7 – “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil. When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.”
• Proverbs 28:20a – “A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.”
• Revelation 2:10 – (NKJV) “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

The most significant element in our Christian life is faithfulness to God. In the days we now live in, we are unsure of what will happen next across the globe. There are wars, famines, economic collapse, and many natural disasters. Being faithful to God gives us great peace and assurance that we will be brought through by His promises of blessings and the reward of eternal life in Heaven.

Our faithful allegiance to Almighty God is the only thing that we can really count on; He is our hope in a fallen world. His provision of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus is the greatest benefit of all if we are faithful believers. 1