FAITHFULNESS
In Galatians 5:22, the Apostle Paul provides a list of personal qualities produced in the life of those who follow Jesus Christ. He calls these the “fruit of the spirt.” When we are connected to God through faith in Jesus Christ, these qualities are planted in our lives and grow to maturity.
Faithfulness is the seventh fruit on Paul’s list. To be faithful is to stick by someone through thick and thin. To be faithful is to be trustworthy, steadfast, reliable.
For thousands of years, the North Star has shined brilliantly, giving direction to land travelers, sailors, and pilots. When south seems to look like north and east seems to look like west, many look for the North Star because they know they can trust it to provide the correct orientation.
People have always enjoyed watching shootings starts. Sitting out in a filed, away from the city lights you can sometimes look up and see many shooting stars in the course of an evening. These meteorites seem to come out of nowhere. As quickly as they catch our attention, they fade and burn out. Though they are beautiful to see, they do not last. They are not dependable; they cannot be relied on to show us the way, like the North Star.
Trustworthiness and reliability toward others can grow in us as we become more trusting of God and God’s faithfulness to us. You and I are called to be faithful in our relationships with our spouses, our children, our employers, our employees, our friends and people in general. Most of all, we are called to be faithful in our obedience to the Lord.
With the spirit at work in us, we might one day hear our Lord say to us, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:33)
Grace and peace,
Pastor Steve