FAITHFULNESS BRINGS INCREASE

By: Dennis Harworth

Working in a warehouse is not a glamorous job, especially since a previous job was a shirt and tie office management position.  But since being out of work for a while and starting a family, I was a little desperate to get some money coming in.  Fortunately, this new job had slightly better wages and benefits than the average blue-collar jobs at the time.  It was just enough to put food on the table and slowly but surely dig myself out of the hole from all the bills that were due.  Although this job was very physically demanding, the pay was decent and the working conditions were good.  It also seemed worth hanging on to because there was potential for advancement in the company.  My hunch paid off – in a year and a half I was promoted to dock supervisor. 

The reason for this promotion was probably not your typical one.  It was surely not based on seniority for there were many employees that had been with the company much longer than I had.  We all worked really hard - like ants on an ant hill; with each person just going about doing their daily tasks.  I never really noticed any co-workers with leadership potential; least of all me.  Come to find out that the explanation for me to be chosen for this position was my consistent attendance.  Faithfully showing up every day, no matter how I felt, proved to management that I could be trusted and relied on.  This turned out to be a huge opportunity for me to not only earn more, but also to develop in my personal growth while learning valuable life skills.  After all was said and done, I ended up more than doubling my income. 

This example of increase in my life was brought to my remembrance after meditating on Proverbs 28:20: “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.”  The New Living Translation puts it, “The trustworthy will get a rich reward. But the person who wants to get rich quick will only get into trouble.”  It was such a great promise I had to dig into the verse a little deeper to make sure it was actually saying what I was reading.

In studying this, I found the definitions and Hebrew meanings of the first half of this verse would break it down to something like this: The consistent, reliable, steadfast, and trustworthy man will get an abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality) increase of liberal blessings and benefits; (by implication prosperity).  The meaning of the word “increase” is to add to, make greater, enrich, enhance in size, amount, intensity, and degree.  It is linked to another direct promise from God (who cannot lie): “He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.  May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children.” (Psalm 115:13-14).  I found it especially interesting that the Hebrew meaning often refers to “continue to do a thing” – which is very similar to describing “faithful”.

I also discovered that people throughout the Bible became richly blessed by being faithful.  Here are just a few:

-Abraham was steadfast in his obedience to God and as a result, the Lord blessed him richly with great substance (Genesis 24:35) and made him the father of many nations. (Romans 4:17).

-Job trusted and believed God all the way through his devastating losses and horrendous trials.  The Lord blessed Job twice as much as he had before.

(Job 42:10-12)

-Daniel was found faithful even when his enemies tried to find some charge against him, but no error or fault was found in him (Daniel 6:4).  God supernaturally protected him in the den of lions and afterward Daniel prospered during the reign of two kings. (Daniel 6:28).

-Paul the Apostle was faithful to his calling.  He is considered to be one of the most important figures of the world, then and now.  His epistles are said to be the most influential books of the New Testament after the Gospels of Matthew and John.

-A wealthy businesswoman named Lydia devotedly worshipped God and her household got saved. (Acts 16:14-15).

The Bible tells us that by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established (Deuteronomy 19:15).  With these examples alone, it leaves no room to be skeptical about the concept of increase being the result of faithfulness.

You might be thinking, “I need more evidence from the New Testament.” Okay.  How about the parable that Jesus told of the talents, two of the three servants were faithful in caring for their master’s money? They were both told by their lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” (Matthew 25:21, 23). They were rewarded accordingly for their faithfulness not just with additional wealth, but also with additional responsibilities, and sharing of the master’s joy.  That’s increase!

Jesus makes it very clear in Luke 16:10-11: “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?”  When you have been entrusted with the true riches of heaven which are exceedingly more valuable than earthly wealth; then that’s increase!

Notice the increase promised to the faithful is not just wealth; although that is a part of it.  God’s kind of increase is the blessings of God that covers every area of your life.  So, if you would like to abound with His blessings, be faithful: consistently trust Him with committed obedience.  Then you will gladly testify that…

 FAITHFULNESS BRINGS INCREASE!