Faithfulness

The next “fruit” we should see in our Christian lives is faithfulness. According to Dictionary.com, faithfulness means each of the following:

(1) “strict or thorough in the performance of duty”;
(2) “true to one’s word, promises, vows, etc.”;
(3) “steady in allegiance or affection, loyal, constant”;
(4) “reliable, trusted, or believed”;
(5) “adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate.”

So what does this tell us about the faithfulness we are to have in our own lives? I see in these definitions that faithfulness is being true to God and to others. It means pledging our allegiance to God and God alone, being loyal to Him in all we say and do. It means fulfilling our responsibilities as Christians and doing what we know we are supposed to do. Not just doing it, but doing it thoroughly.

But there are two other specific things that I see in this definition. The first is in definition (4). Faithfulness has everything to do with trust. Faithfulness is the foundation upon which trust is built. If we are not faithful, not dependable, then trust cannot and will not follow. Faithfulness holds all the other fruits in its hands. You can excel at love, at joy, at peace, at patience, at any of the other fruits, but if you are not faithful in executing them, then it doesn’t really matter that you are good at any one of them. Think about that for a minute. This thing between God and us is a relationship and relationships are built on trust. God has proven Himself faithful (we’ll get to that Scripture in the next entry). Have we proven ourselves faithful to Him? He wants us to be true, steadfast, reliable, and trusted. All of those things add up to the fruit of faithfulness that we are commanded to have in our lives.

A true example of this type of faithfulness can be found in the person of Ruth. In Ruth chapter 1, Ruth finds herself a widow caring for her also-widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi urges Ruth to return to her own family, where she will be cared for and where she may even marry again. But Ruth refuses. She sees it as her duty to care for Naomi, who has no one else, and so decided to return to Naomi’s homeland with her. Here is what Ruth says: “’Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.’” (Ruth 1:16-17) The devotion shown by Ruth toward Naomi is a perfect example of the faithfulness that God expect, demands, from each one of us.

The second specific thing that this definition teaches us is that faithfulness is “adhering to a standard or an original.” God is that original! We are to be like Him. Isn’t that what we’ve been saying all along? To be faithful, we need to know the original faithful One and follow His example of faithfulness. We are to copy Him. This is both intimidating and good news for us. Intimidating because who can hope to copy God in any of these traits and not fail? But the good news is that we have a focus and that focus is God. When we fix our eyes on Him to follow His example of faithfulness, He will pull us along a faithful path. It will be His strength that allows us to be faithful and to be like Him. We don’t have to do it alone.

Allow this to sink in. Really think about the definition above. Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Disagree? See something else? Please share! In the next entry, I will look at the example of God’s faithfulness in the Bible. We have to know what we are following, right?