When it comes to earning a reputation for being a person of their word, someone who will be there no matter what, and being known for never giving up, the words of King Solomon ring loudly, especially in our day and age: “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person is hard to find.”[1]

Tony A. Gaskins Jr., Author, Celebrity Life Coach, and Professional Motivational Speaker, has found several sterling qualities come with being faithful. One of the first, says Tony, is peace beyond one’s imagination. And because of this abiding peace, it brings chronic happiness. You don’t need anything, in particular, to make you happy. Because you are a faithful person, your heart and mind are always at ease. And when a person is at ease, then happiness is a natural feeling.

Along with peace, a faithful person has an uncontrollable sense of pride. Not egotism, self-love, boastfulness, haughtiness, or being braggadocios, but delight, dignity, honor, and self-respect. Such a sense of happiness with one’s behavior and conduct builds up the assurance of strong confidence in one’s ability to stay faithful. You don’t end up second-guessing yourself on whether or not it is worth it.

When this is the case, then what others may consider as ordinary or routine becomes exciting. Tony says that for him, being in love is like a fairy tale. You don’t wake up each morning wondering if you love your life’s companion, or how much you love them. Instead, you wake up saying to yourself, “I can’t believe being in love like this is really true!” This then will have a reciprocal benefit because the one you love so deeply and faithfully will be just as in love with you. Your marriage will not be a script for a daily soap opera. You will experience a drama-free love life; no daily ups and downs; no worries about what tomorrow may bring.

In that type of setting, for the first time, you will experience a genuine core connection with another human being. Sad to say, some people love their pets more than they love their partner. This real bonding takes away any questions about them being faithful to you or any doubt of your being faithful to them. As someone once said, you can do more working together than you could ever do alone. With this comes an unexplainable and uncontainable sense of success. Once you commit yourself to build an unbreakable connection with another person, you’ll never want to trade it for something or someone else. And it all starts with the virtue of faithfulness.

No wonder God gave Moses this word of encouragement for His people: if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”[2] And King Solomon advised: “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. That way, you will find favor and success in the sight of God and man.”[3]

But who can forget what our Lord told His disciples:  One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?[4]

As a husband, father, pastor, teacher, and leader, I was not overly concerned whether or not my spouse, children, members, students or subordinates did everything perfectly, I was more interested in their being faithful to the cause in performing their assigned duties. And I set the same standard for myself. Was I always perfect? Heaven’s no! But I didn’t use that as an excuse to stop trying to improve. The one thing I worked on most of all, was faithfulness, which is beautifully expressed by that grand old hymn, “Great is They Faithfulness, O God my Father.[5]

I once had a church member tell me that they loved my preaching, but my bedside manners were severely lacking because I didn’t do enough visiting. I responded by telling them that I knew I would disappoint people in one way or another, but I would rather disappoint them with my visiting than to disappoint God with my preaching. After all, His greatest compliment to anyone will be when He says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

[1] Proverbs 20:6

[2] Deuteronomy 28:1

[3] Proverbs 3:3-4

[4] Luke 16:10-12

[5] Written by Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960) with music composed by William M. Runyan (1870–1957) in Baldwin City, Kansas, U.S. The phrase “great is thy faithfulness” comes from the Old Testament Book of Lamentations 3:23.