Faithful Servants Of God: Walking In His Footsteps

Being a faithful servant of God means being devoted to God and willingly putting yourself at His disposal. It involves obeying His word, carrying out His will, and performing His work on earth. A faithful servant of God is humble, selfless, and always ready to defend God's honour. They are also trustworthy, reliable, and consistent with the truth.

The Bible uses several metaphors to describe the relationship between Christians and God, one of the most prolific being that of God as the master and His people as servants. This implies that Christians, as servants of God, should be satisfied with what God provides, follow Him, and be ready to suffer and persevere for their faith.

Jesus emphasises the importance of faithfulness, stating that those who are faithful in little will also be faithful in much. Being a faithful servant of God, therefore, requires dedication and commitment to living a life that honours and obeys Him.

Be humble and selfless

Humility and selflessness are key characteristics of a faithful servant of God.

Humility is defined as an absence of pride, arrogance, and pretense. C.S. Lewis describes a humble person as:

> [taking] a real interest in what you [have to] say to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

A humble person is aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and they recognise that all people are capable of making mistakes. They are comfortable with uncertainty and the opinions of others, even if these opinions contradict their own. Humble people are not self-deprecating, as this can be a sign of low self-esteem and can put down those around them. Instead, they are confident in who they are and keep their egos in check.

Selflessness is meeting the needs of others and giving of yourself. It requires setting aside your own wants and needs and seeking the greatest good for others. Selflessness is impossible without humility and respect. Muhammad Ali famously said:

> I don’t trust anyone who’s nice to me but rude to the waiter. Because they would treat me the same way if I were in that position.

Selflessness is about taking action to help others, as James Hunter writes:

> Love [is] the act of extending yourself for others by identifying and meeting their legitimate needs and seeking their great good.

However, it is important to note that selflessness can become selfishness if taken to the extreme. For example, a person may volunteer for everything and overbook themselves, ultimately letting people down.

To be humble and selfless, it is important to find balance and to educate yourself on the true nature of these attributes. It can also be helpful to have someone to keep you in check, such as a friend or mentor.

Be available and willing to serve

Being a faithful servant of God means being available and willing to serve. This means being faithful and available to God, and making yourself present among the members of Christ.

To be available to God, you must be faithful. Faithful people make themselves available, and God can use them in mighty ways. Being faithful and available also means being teachable. You must be humble and recognise that God resists the proud and only gives His grace to the humble.

Being available to serve God also means being willing to serve Him. This means dedicating all your intellectual powers, understanding, will, affections, and conscience to the worship of God. It means being constant and unremitting in your service, and letting your service spring from the love in your heart. It also means being practical. You must serve God without delay, as the longer you defer, the more difficulties and obstacles will be thrown in your way.

Being willing to serve God also means serving where needed. Jesus did what was needed to advance the gospel, and there was no task beneath him. Likewise, Christ's followers should have no limits to their willingness to serve.

Finally, being available and willing to serve God means serving as God directs. Sometimes the Lord says no to our plans to serve, and we must trust and obey God.

Be obedient and follow God's word

To be a faithful servant of God, one must be obedient and follow God's word.

The Bible uses the metaphor of God as the master and his people as servants. A servant is at the beck and call of their master, and so a Christian should be at God's disposal, longing to do God's will no matter the cost.

Obedience to God's commandments is a true sign of one's love for God. We should obey Christ's commandments, not as fearful slaves, but as loving children of God, trusting in Him.

• Share the gospel: Make disciples, teach others about God, and share the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection.
• Help the disadvantaged: Do not put self-gratification before the needs of others.
• Forgive others: Renounce vengeance and do not retaliate against those who insult or hurt you.
• Serve those above and below you: View your position of authority as an opportunity to help those under you, and view your position of subservience as an opportunity to submit to your authority.
• Know God's character: Seek to understand God better through church fellowship, listening to sermons, studying the Bible, and praying.
• Recognise God as the source: Recognise that every advantageous position you're in is because of God, the source of every blessing.
• Be unpopular: Be willing to be unpopular and display courage by doing what the Bible says is right, always.
• Show humility: Look at the character of Jesus as a measure in your introspective moral judgment, rather than rationalising your questionable actions and attitudes.
• Love God and others: Love God more than anything, and love others sincerely.

Jesus, in his parable of the talents, tells of two faithful servants who used what they had been given to increase their master's wealth. When the master returned, he rewarded them, saying, "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, 23). Every Christian longs to hear those words from Jesus someday in heaven.

To summarise, being obedient and following God's word involves actively serving God and others, knowing and trusting God, and loving God and others.

Be loyal and forsake all others

To be a faithful servant of God, one must be loyal and forsake all others. This means that a Christian must leave the service of sin and Satan and instead devote their life to serving God.

A servant of God is at God's beck and call, always doing God's will and remaining attentive to God's voice and desires. They are bound to God through faith and baptism and are willing to die rather than break their promise.

Serve God and God alone

A servant serves one master only. They forsake all others so that they can focus their best attention on their master. Similarly, a Christian leaves behind the service of sin and Satan and instead devotes their life to serving God alone. They joyfully use their life to serve that one good master.

Be at God's beck and call

A servant is not free to do what they want when they want to do it. Instead, they must always do the will of their master. Likewise, a Christian willingly puts themselves at God's disposal, longing to do God's will, no matter the cost. They live their life attentive to the voice and desires of God.

Be bound to God

A servant is bound to their master through a covenant, contract, or indenture. They cannot simply leave their service at a whim. Similarly, a Christian is bound to God through faith and baptism. They have bound themselves to God through a public profession and would prefer to die rather than break their promise.

Do God's work

A master is freed from many tasks and responsibilities because they have entrusted those tasks to their servant, who performs them on their behalf. God calls Christians to carry out his will and perform his works on earth.

Follow God

Where a master leads, a servant follows. A Christian follows God and Christ, even taking up their cross (Luke 9:23), obediently remaining pure and holy in an evil world.

Be satisfied with what God provides

A servant is satisfied with what their master gives them. If the master gives much, they are content, and if the master gives little, they are likewise content. A Christian echoes Paul, who declared, "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need" (Philippians 4:12).

Defend God's honour

A servant will stand up for the honour of their master. They cannot tolerate hearing others speak ill of their master, whether to their face or behind their back. A Christian stands up for the honour of God, echoing the psalmist who said, "My zeal consumes me" (Psalm 119:139). It is shameful to hear people speak against God and remain silent.

Be devoted to studying and understanding God's mysteries

To be a faithful servant of God, one must be devoted to studying and understanding God's mysteries. The Bible describes the mystery of God as something that was once hidden but has now been revealed to God's people through Jesus Christ. This mystery is not just an abstract concept but is deeply personal and involves a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus.

The mystery of God is described in Colossians 2:2-3 as follows:

> "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Jesus Himself spoke of "the mystery of the kingdom of God" (Mark 4:11), which He revealed to His disciples. The apostle Paul also wrote extensively about the mystery of God, using the word "mystery" 21 times in his Epistles to refer to spiritual truths that were once hidden but have now been divinely revealed.

So, what are some of the mysteries that God has revealed, and how can we, as servants of God, devote ourselves to studying and understanding them?

• The mystery of discovering God: God desires for us to find Him (Acts 17:27) and to know Him (Psalm 25:14). Just as we would be excited to discover new things about someone we like, we should approach our relationship with God with curiosity and a desire to learn more about Him.
• The mystery of discovering your destiny: Proverbs 20:24 tells us that God directs our lives and that our journey towards our destiny is a mysterious and exciting path. We may not always know what lies ahead, but we can trust in God's promise to guide us towards our purpose.
• The mystery of self-discovery: God reveals our true identity to us and helps us discover who we are and who we are destined to be. Through our relationship with Jesus, we learn about ourselves, our strengths, and our weaknesses.
• The mysterious power of faith: God's plan for us is beyond our human understanding, and we must live by faith, trusting in Him rather than our own limited perspectives. This faith gives us access to God's power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and parted the Red Sea.

As faithful servants of God, we should strive to understand and embrace these mysteries. We can do this through Bible study, prayer, church fellowship, and listening to sermons. Additionally, we can reflect on how God has worked in our lives and be open to the ways He continues to reveal Himself to us. By devoting ourselves to studying and understanding God's mysteries, we draw closer to Him and deepen our relationship with Him.

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