The Fruit of the Spirit is.......Faithfulness

Faithfulness is a trait that has long been very important to me. It is one of God's characteristics that I find myself most often thanking Him for. Though I love adventure and trying new things, having stability and knowing there are things that I can rely on give me incredible peace. Though I have found that people aren't always faithful - God is. 

    To be faithful you are committed to someone or something. You are honest and trustworthy. A faithful person doesn't leave when something gets hard. I have been blessed to have many faithful people in my life as well as a faithful God. As humans we are never perfectly faithful like God is but with the Holy Spirit working in us we can do our best. 

     "It is a trustworthy statement:

For if we died with Him,

we will also live with Him;

If we endure

we will also reign with Him;

If we deny Him,

He also will deny us;

If we are faithless,

He remains faithful,

for He cannot deny Himself."

2 Timothy 2:11-13

    I remember years ago (before adulthood I am pretty sure) this scripture just stopping me in my tracks. Today it makes me emotional just reading it.  God cannot be unfaithful, to do so would be to deny who He is and He won't/can't do that. So no matter what happens in life - I have a faithful, unchanging God who loves me! I really think we need to grasp hold of that so that we can realize what the Holy Spirit can do in us as well if we let Him. By the gift of the Holy Spirit we can be faithful - committed - not wavering.

    We are called to be faithful to the Lord.  Revelation 2:10 says "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." This being faithful is not something to be taken lightly. God calls us to be faithful even through extreme trials and suffering.

    We are called to be faithful in our work for God. Though this verse doesn't use the word "faithful" it describes it pretty well: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58. In 2 Timothy 2:2 & 3 we see Paul telling Timothy "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." Faithful men (and women) are the ones that are needed to teach others the good news. In that faithfulness we will at times be asked to suffer hardship. Are you willing? Do you remember the parable of the Talents in Matthew 25? Both men who did something with the talents given to them and gained more were commended because of their faithfulness. Do you want to hear " Well done, good and faithful servant!" someday? I do. 

    We should also be faithful in our marriages, our friendships and our jobs - truly whatever we have committed to doing. Proverbs 28:20 says "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished". 

" I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;

To all generations I will make known your

faithfulness with my mouth."

Psalms 89:1