Hi Royalties🤴👸!
It is such a pleasure to gist with you over this article. I pray that God would speak to our hearts and grant us the grace to put what we learn into practice in Jesus name (Amen) 🙏.
Our topic of discussion today (drumroll please! 🥁🥁😃) is “Why Faithfulness precedes faithfulness.” Faithfulness is the act of being faithful. Among the various definitions seen in the dictionary for ‘faithful’, we will be using these definitions: reliable, steady in allegiance, thorough in the performance of duty; true to one’s word and adhering to fact or accurate. Therefore, it is safe to say that a faithful person is a loyal and trustworthy person.
What then is fruitfulness? Fruitfulness is the quality of being fruitful. The dictionary says to be fruitful is to produce good results; abound in fruit or produce an abundant growth.
So then, why does faithfulness precede fruitfulness? Let me illustrate with this scenario. A certain man, Y, while building a house puts in a few blocks for the house and abandons it. Will the house be completed? Nope! Another man, X, while building his house puts in the much needed blocks on a steady basis. Would the house be completed? Yeah! Why? Mr X put together the materials needed to build a house on a steady basis.
Faithfulness as earlier mentioned is being reliable, steady and thorough in the performance of duty. That means to see great results or to abound in growth (fruitfulness), a certain level of steadiness and thorough performance of duty on our part (faithfulness) is needed.
As humans, we are so quick to dream big things and aim high (e.g. I want to have a million naira in 6 months. I want to be a CEO of my company in xyz years. I want to be a worldwide-sensation in my industry etc.), Dreaming big isn’t bad. I mean, as children of God, we are destined to be blessings to nations not just to remain at a local champion level (Amen!).
But often times, we miss it because we are so fixated on that big picture/dream that we neglect the little things we ought to do steadily to take us there. We would be surprised how much the little things we do steadily will yield better results progressively than the sudden one action that brings a sudden measure of fruitfulness and fades away later on.
A man whose life mirrored this concept (among several others) is Joseph. The story of Joseph can be seen in Genesis 37 through to 50. God showed Joseph the plan (the big picture) He had for his life while he was young, way before His envious brothers sold him out in slavery. So, he was a slave in the house of an important man in Egypt called Potiphar.
While he was a slave in this house, the bible said his master was pleased with him (Genesis 39: 4), and the same thing happened while he was in prison too (Genesis 39:22). Why would one slave outshine the other slaves? He performed his daily task excellently well (faithfulness) and had the presence of God with him. This made him successful (fruitfulness).
From this, we can see how the faithfulness of Joseph brought in fruitfulness into his life. But the story didn’t end there, it continued to where Joseph actually received a physical manifestation of what God had shown him in his dreams- He rose from the prison to the palace. What would have happened if Joseph wasn’t faithful in what he was assigned to do while He was in his master’s house and in the prison yard? What would change in our lives if we are faithful in the things God has assigned to us to do in each season of our lives?
Joseph was able to head the national task he was given because He had gained mastery during the season of his training (while in Potiphar’s house and prison). Joseph proved himself faithful over little, therefore, much was committed into his hands (Luke 16:10, Mathew 25:23). What big difference would it make if we rather choose to pursue faithfulness in all our hand finds to do, knowing that it is in the place of faithfulness that fruitfulness would come into our lives.
It’s not our job to run after the increase or fruitfulness. The bible tells us that it is God who gives increase (1 Corinthians 3:7) and we are called to be faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2, Matthew 24: 45, Luke 16:10 – 12). I want to believe this is why on the last day, God’s remark to us will be Well done, thou good and faithful servant… (Mathew 25:23). Fruitfulness is guaranteed in the place of faithfulness.
Lord, we thank you for sharing your word with us. Thank you for helping us to realize that our fruitfulness is tied to our faithfulness, we repent of all our unfaithfulness and we ask that you empower us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful in all you’ve called us to do in Jesus name (Amen).
Written by Ms. Royalty & Sacred