Faithfulness (4)

Faithfulness can turn the most boring, routine job into a vitally important one. To get an idea of what faithfulness can look like, think about how dependent we are on something as small as a postage stamp. It has only one purpose – to show that the postage cost on an item has been paid for – but it serves its purpose well. It’s always ready for service. It goes wherever it’s sent. It does whatever it’s asked to do. It sticks to the task until it’s done. And it finds no job too small. What if we could all be as reliable as a stamp? We weren’t all born with equal talents; some of us are more gifted in certain areas than others. But every one of us was born with an equal responsibility to use our abilities at full capacity. That’s the most any of us can do – and it’s what God, who gave us our talents, expects us to do. Two hundred years ago when the U.S. Marine Corps was first formed, officials devoted a lot of time and consideration to choosing a motto. They finally chose the Latin phrase semper fidelis, which means, ‘Always faithful’! Both are important words, but the most important is the first one: always. That’s because a Marine can’t afford to be faithful only when it’s comfortable or convenient, or when they feel like it, or when it will make them happy. Semper fidelis means you must always be faithful, whatever the cost or the circumstances. God wants to be able to say the same thing about each one of us as is said about Him: ‘Great is your faithfulness.’ So whatever your purpose in life, be dependable, trustworthy, and above all, faithful.