Some people are notorious for not keeping their word. Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Great Britain, said in 1938 after signing the Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler, that “in spite of the hardness and ruthlessness I thought I saw in his face, I got the impression that here was a man who could be relied upon when he had given his word.”
Prime Minister Chamberlain also said of his dealings with Hitler: “For the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time… Go home and get a nice quiet sleep” (The Experts Speak, 1998, p. 118).
Of course, despite Hitler’s deceptive and hypocritical promises, he had no intention of keeping them and he started World War II within the year. That is what one got for taking Hitler at his word.
A godly leader, though, must be reliable. Reliability touches many aspects of life. As God is reliable, we also ought to be reliable, completing our projects and fulfilling our responsibilities.
Hitler could not be trusted. His word was no good. But we can take God at His Word. God is reliable. Imagine what would happen if God were moody, whimsical and untrustworthy; someone you could not count on. What if the Ten Commandments were not law, but kept changing depending on God’s moods? No, God is very reliable. The sun will rise tomorrow. The laws of nature that God set in motion, such as the law of gravity, are just that—law! We even measure time by the rotation of the heavenly bodies—that is how reliable down to the very second they are.
The Kingdom of God will be here. You can count on it. Christ, who had lived forever, gave up His life knowing that He could count on His Father to bring Him back to life. There were no doubts or waverings or second thoughts. Christ could count on His Father! And the Father came through.
Jesus Christ, too, is reliable. God came up with a plan to save us. The plan involved Christ becoming a sacrifice for sin. But the plan required Christ to live sinlessly—not to sin even once. The entire plan of God rested on it. The Father counted on Christ never to sin—not even once. You might think that such a plan would have been considered too risky, especially after their experience with Lucifer, who sinned after coming to earth. But that did not stop the plan. Christ came through! Jesus Christ is totally reliable!
We are members of God’s Family, though not yet born (1 John 3:1–3). We must be reliable, dependable and trustworthy. Otherwise, how could we function in a reliable, dependable and trustworthy family? Christ came to set us an example (1 Peter 2:21).
Can your spouse count on you? Is your word any good? Can our children count on us? Do we fulfill our promises to them, or do we just make empty promises so they will run along and leave us alone? Can our boss count on us? If we are given an assignment, is it as good as done? Can those we supervise rely on us, or are we moody, fickle, unpredictable and hard to understand?
Let us consider four points on how to be reliable—how to see a project, assignment or task through to completion.
Count the cost before you commit to projects
Ask yourself such questions as: “Do I have the resources in time and energy to see this project through? How long will it take? How much will it cost? How much time away from my family would be involved?” Even governments do not get involved in costly wars without first counting the cost. Christ spoke of this in Luke 14:25–33.
Ask yourself: “Is this a godly endeavor? Do I have to compromise godly values and principles?” Depending on the answer, we may even have to pass up a career move “up the ladder.” If we cannot answer such questions affirmatively, we must graciously decline participation in the project.
Of course, occasionally a really negative development arises during a project—something serious, wrong or even sinful. On such an occasion, it is not a sin to change plans. God changed His plan for King Saul when the king’s conduct changed. Also, God pronounced a curse that would have descended upon Nineveh in 40 days. However, the people’s conduct changed—and so did God’s planned destruction.
See worthwhile projects through
When you commit to a task, it must be as good as done. Your co-workers, supervisor and employer value such workers.
One of the disappointments for professors and teachers is to see students come close to the end of a semester and drop out. Of course, the dropouts have their reasons. But are they valid reasons? Often, they are not. It is disappointing to watch students put much time and effort into a class only to quit near the end. Often, just a little more effort would have brought success.
On those rare occasions when one cannot see an assignment through, one should let the project leader know in good time. Maybe one can find or recommend a substitute. Or perhaps one can swap duties with another. Again, such occasions must be rare—very rare—for one who is reliable.
Never worry about who gets the credit
It really does not matter. God is keeping score. His message to Philadelphia contains an extremely satisfying verse: “I [God] know your works” (Revelation 3:8). What else can possibly matter? God knows what we are doing or not doing. This life is only the beginning. Can we patiently wait on God to reward us in the next life, or must we get everything here and now?
Let your satisfaction be the successful completion of the project. We must be givers. The Word of God teaches us that the greater blessing is always in the giving, rather than in the receiving (Acts 20:35).
Include God in all that you do
Even in secular or professional projects, include God. Make God a full partner. Ask Him to give insight, wisdom and guidance. He will come through. God is simply the smartest and the strongest. He is the ultimate Source of wisdom and strength (Proverbs 3:5–6). And God is only too willing to share, so why leave Him out?
In conclusion, remember, as Christians, we are in the ultimate project—living God’s way of life. This is the mother of all projects that are ever taken on in this life. For this project, there is absolutely no excuse for not completing it—at least no excuse that God would accept! Christ puts it as follows: “‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:62). The good news is found in Matthew 24:13: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” All who complete this—the ultimate project—will be in the kingdom of God; so says Christ.
We all need to put these four points to work now. Christ Himself said: “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” (Luke 16:10).
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