Times change and, for better or worse, so do the attitudes and values that go with it.
For instance, most of you probably grew up with the rule that said, “When on a first date, the man pays for everything.” Did you know that has changed? Now the commonly accepted thinking for first dates is, “Each person pays for themselves.” Seems strange to me, but that is the new rule.
Other things, such as brand loyalty, have changed too. It used to be that if your Grandpa owned a Ford, then your Dad likely owned a Ford and you likely owned a Ford. The same could be said of families that drove Chevy or Dodge products. However, that has changed too. Now the biggest factor in buying a car is price. Most people will drive just about any make and will gladly switch from one to another to get what they want or like. Whether you think that is good, bad or indifferent, it is a fact of life today.
In the church, this change in thinking can be seen in the words that we like these days. Some good and very Biblical words and concepts are being overlooked, put on the back burner or even disregarded simply because they are considered old-fashioned. A good example of that is the word faithful.
When many people say the word faithful today, they say it with disdain as if it is a synonym for boring or stick in the mud. However, in the New Testament, faithful is one of the highest compliments that anyone could receive. In fact, when Paul wants to commend his friends to others, he uses the word faithful. (Timothy, Epaphras, Silas, Onesimus and Tychicus are among those given this label). The apostle John says to one group, “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth” (3 John 3). Far from being a bad word, faithful is a joyous thing.
My point: maybe simply being faithful is not a bad thing. Maybe you can’t do the big, glorious and glamorous things in the kingdom, but you can live your life faithfully. Maybe your example is just what someone else needs. Maybe God can work in a life that is given over to him. Maybe there is a certain joy and glory attached to a life that is lived for God over the decades, come what may.
In the end, maybe faithful is not so boring after all.
In fact, I think that hearing “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) would be anything but boring.
