One of the words/phrases I hear often in church world is the word faithful. I reckon it you hung around any church for long enough you would hear it to. It’s one of the things I often hear people being commended for in the church.

So what, I hear you ask! Is this a bad thing?

Of course not……..but I have found it interesting how the word has been used. In fact for a long time the way the praise was applied confused me about what faithfulness was. I heard the word used in a variety of contexts. Someone was faithful if……

• they attended an event regularly
• they gave regularly
• they prayed for something regularly, and especially if…
• they prayed for something regularly without seeing breakthrough

I therefore concluded that somewhere in these examples was what faithfulness was. In my observations, faithfulness was steadiness, order, commitment, regularity, and to be quite honest a little painful. Faithfulness felt safe, and in my young mind, rather boring.

However, when I read the Bible I noticed that the people who were commended for their faithfulness were not necessarily safe, ordered, or regular. In fact they were often, if not always, risk takers, pioneers and looked irregular! In fairness they usually were committed and did often seem to get it tough.

Lets look at one example.

The other day I was reading the story Jesus told of a master who went on a long trip and gave 3 servants money to invest for him while he was gone. When the master returned 2 of the servants had multiplied, in fact doubled, his investment. This is what is said to them.

……….‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! Matthew 25:21

However, the third servant didn’t multiply the money or put it to work. They weren’t frivolous or immoral with it. They simply hid it, protected it, and safely looked after it. As we read the story me might wonder what praise the master would reserve for this servant who looked after his money.

Lets just say – there wasn’t a lot of praise! Here’s what he received.

His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!….. Matthew 25:26a

They certainly were not rewarded for their faithfulness! In fact we learn what they had was taken from them and given to the others.

In this story faithfulness wasn’t safe, steady or regular. Faithfulness was risk taking, producing and multiplying. We don’t know the full detail but my guess is that the servants who multiplied the money would have had to be active, they are likely to have had to invest, gamble, or spend the money to generate more. Therefore, there would have been a chance they could have lost his investment in their desire to make more. Thankfully they didn’t. I guess we might conclude that they had faith that they wouldn’t lose the money. They were faith filled and put the money to work.

Perhaps how we have been praising people for faithfulness might be misplaced? Please hear my heart. I’m not saying that people who attend regularly or pray consistently are not faithful. I’m sure many are. What I’m saying is that those things alone cannot be a determinant of faithfulness.

Lets not reduce faithfulness to safety and order. Lets use it in its correct context and then commit to be being faithful over and over and over again