What does faithfulness look like today?

It would seem like such a simple question. What does it mean to be faithful today? This week? This year? It is a deceptively difficult question to answer. For all Christ followers, faithfulness has to be oriented to a person - to Jesus. Our allegience is not pledged to a creed or a tradition or an ecclesiastical structure. We are to be faithful to Him. I would hope that at least most of Christ's followers could at least agree on that. But, the age old confussion that we all grapple with is, what does that faithfulness look like in practical terms on a daily, monthly, yearly, stage of life basis? What does it look like to be faithful to Him? What am I supposed to do... today? By what standard is faithfulness judged? Some would argue that it is a behavioral standard that cries out for Christian faithfulness (a list of do's and don'ts). There is actually a lot to be said for that. Our integrity, honesty and purity should make us stand out (in a positive way). Like it or not, there is a standard of behavior. The landscape is littered with Christian leaders who disregarded the importance of things like fidelity and truth telling. It is clear that an aspect of faithfulness has to do with a predetermined standard of personal holiness.

But is that all? For so many (including myself all too often), the "faithful" Christian life is seen like a job description. There is the list of things we are supposed to so and the list of things we are not supposed to do - get most of them right and you are doing pretty good. It's a pretty safe approach.

But, what if "faithful" is not so static? What if behavioral standards are not the final definition of faithfulness? Christ has called us to a mission - to share good news far and near - to make disciples everywhere - to do what He did. What if faithfulness has more to do with the fulfillment of mission than anything else? It seems awful easy in the Christian community to take on behavioral standards but not be involved in the mission of the gospel or the disciple-making process at all. You can still be called faithful if you jump through the other hoops. Will God call us faithful? "Well, no God, I didn't actually take part in the Great Commission but I was very busy in church and did all the other things the Christian community said was important". I am not sure He will be impressed.

In the parable of the talents, reward is directly tied to risk. A general command of growth is given, talents are then dispensed. It is up to each person to figure out the best way to bring about the greatest degree of growth. There is a tremendous amount of risk and initiative that is necessary. Each one is responsible for making it happen. They have to make their own opportunities. The one who plays it safe is condemned.

How do we fit into that? What does it mean to "play it safe"? As one who is firmly within the Christian sub-culture, I know exactly what it means to play it safe. Being an acceptable Christian within the Christian sub-culture is not hard to do. Surrounding myself with Christian friends and doing church things is not difficult - not difficult at all. Perhaps what we call faithfulness, Christ would call "playing it safe". I wonder if any of us will be surprised to receive rebuke rather than reward?

To be continued...