He only had an elementary education, but by the time he was in his teens, he could read the Bible in six languages. He later became Professor of Oriental Languages at Fort William College in Calcutta, and his printing press provided Scriptures in over 40 languages and dialects for more than 300 million people.
Who is it? His name was, William Carey, “father of modern missions.” And what was his secret? What he said to his nephew sums it up...
“Eustice, if after my removal anyone should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you the criterion by which you may judge of its correctness.
“If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. That is my genius. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.” (In Praise of Plodders!, Warren Wiersbe, p.11, Copyright 1991, Published by Kregel Resources, 1994)
Who is it? His name was, William Carey, “father of modern missions.” And what was his secret? What he said to his nephew sums it up...
“Eustice, if after my removal anyone should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you the criterion by which you may judge of its correctness.
“If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. That is my genius. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.” (In Praise of Plodders!, Warren Wiersbe, p.11, Copyright 1991, Published by Kregel Resources, 1994)
- First known use of the word the word "faithful" was in the 14th century.
- (A.) Strict or thorough in the performance of duty; (B.) True to one's word, promises, vows; (C.) Reliable, trusted; steady in allegiance or affection; (D.) Loyal; constant.
"Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint." (Proverbs 25:19 NKJV)
1. Faithfulness is a virtue.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22, 23 NKJV)[Though this word is] used repeatedly elsewhere in Galatians to signify a person’s response of trust regarding God’s salvation provided in Christ Jesus (cf. 2:20; 3:6ff.; 5:6), here undoubtedly [it] means the ethical virtue of “faithfulness.”...the subject is the believer and the context is determinative. For situated, as it is, amidst eight other nouns in a list of human virtues, [this word] must here be understood...as the human virtue of faithfulness, that is produced in the believer’s life by the faithful God through his Spirit. --Word Biblical Commentary
Illustration:
U.S. Senator Rick Santorum told a story seemingly unrelated to the usual commencement speeches about success and happiness. This is the story: A Baptist preacher in South Carolina wanted nothing more out of life than to run a Bible college. All his life, he worked for the position and eventually attained it. As he fulfilled his life’s dream and vocation, Alzheimer’s disease struck his wife. Her health degenerated to the point where he could not possibly take care of her and work his full-time job. The preacher came to a decision – to give up his position as president of the Bible college. His peers were incredulous. “What are you doing?” they asked. “Your wife doesn’t even know who you are!” The man answered, “She might not know who I am, but I know who she is. She’s the woman I made a promise to until death do us part.”
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:14-23)
2. Faithfulness is a choice.
"I have chosen to be faithful..." (Psalm 119:30 NLT)"A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished." (Proverbs 28:20 NKJV)
Story of Alta Cecil who chose to be faithful even when she was in tremendous pain with her rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Faithfulness is a discipline.
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV)4. Faithfulness is a qualification.
"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry..." (1 Timothy 1:12 NKJV)"Then He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face…'" (Numbers 12:6-8 NLT)
"Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy." (Daniel 6:3-4 NLT)
"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV)
5. Faithfulness is a command.
"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:1, 2 NKJV)God requires faithfulness from his Children.
Additional Thoughts:
- Faithfulness means being loyal
Ruth showed loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi, prioritizing their relationship over what might have been more comfortable for her.
- Faithfulness means being dependable (Psalm 15:4)
Conclusion:
One of the most tragic events during the Reagan Presidency was the Sunday morning terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, in which hundreds of Americans were killed or wounded as they slept. Many can still recall the terrible scenes as the dazed survivors worked to dig out their trapped brothers from beneath the rubble.A few days after the tragedy, Marine Corps Commandant Paul Kelly, visited some of the wounded survivors then in a Frankfurt, Germany, hospital. Among them was Corporal Jeffrey Lee Nashton, severely wounded in the incident. Nashton had so many tubes running in and out of his body that a witness said he looked more like a machine than a man; yet he survived.
As Kelly neared him, Nashton, struggling to move and racked with pain, motioned for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote a brief note and passed it back to the Commandant. On the slip of paper were just two words -- "Semper Fi" the Latin motto of the Marines meaning "Always faithful."
Those two words need to be the testimony of every Christian!
