There is coming a day when you will see God face to face. On this day, you will stand before the Lord and He will say, "Well done." or "Depart from me." The God of all creation will evaluate your faithfulness to Him while you walked this earth. God will be the final and righteous judge.
We only get one life. One chance to get it right. We have to be so in tune with what God's Word says about true faithfulness that there's no way we are mistaking what the world says is faithful with what God says is faithful.
Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." I don't want to be faithful in all the wrong things.
The world says, speak what you want. The Word says, speak with grace. The world says, live as you please. The Word says, live as God pleases. The world says, follow your heart. The Word says, follow God's heart. The world says, do what feels good. The Word says, do what is right.
What exactly is God going to look for when it's my day to stand before Him? I'm a boundaries girl. I need some really definite lines when it comes to what is expected of me. When I know what is expected, I can make it happen. So, I'm going to lay this out really simply because that's what I need and if you are like me, you need it too.
1. Your values.
The Lord will judge whether or not your values line up with His. He will decide if you spent your time on what is truly important for His Kingdom or if you invested your time in selfish or worldly things.
2. Your care for others.
Faithfulness goes beyond selfish ambition and focuses more on the needs and interests of others.
3. Your integrity.
I teach my kindergartners that having integrity partly means that you do the right thing even when you think that no one is looking. Are you reflecting Christ even when your Christian friends aren't anywhere around?
4. The promises you kept.
Proverbs 20:25 says, "It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one's vows." Faithfulness in your promises means if you say it, you do it.
5. Your stewardship.
God made you with unique gifts and talents. You can do things that others cannot. Others can do particular things that you cannot. God made it this way on purpose so we would need one another. But if you choose not to share your gifts, God receives no return for the investment He made on your life.
6. Your obedience.
Do you follow the commands God has outlined for His followers in the Bible? The harsh reality is that disobedience automatically cancels out your faithfulness.
7. Your discipleship.
If the Lord teaches you a spiritual truth, it is your job as a believer to pass it on to others. It then becomes their responsibility to pass it along as well. This is how we grow the Family and fight against evil.
But, how will I know that I am faithful? "Therefore by their fruits you will know them," says Matthew 7:20. Your faithfulness will become fruitfulness.
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