Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

Every Christian should be producing fruit in their life. In Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul lists 9 traits that every Christian should be demonstrating in their daily walk. We call these the fruits of the Spirit.

Faithfulness is a quality that is on that list. To believers, faithfulness means that we are always true to God. In the Old Testament, God often described His relationship with His people as if it were a marriage. Isaiah portrayed a relationship like that with these words:

Isaiah 54:5-6

“For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit..."

In the New Testament, God refers to the church as His bride. His love for us is a love of faithful commitment that never fails and never dies.

A marriage, though, is a two-way commitment. God expects to receive the same level of faithfulness that He gives. Look at how God declares His faithful love for His nation, Israel, in that same chapter of Isaiah:

Isaiah 54:10

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken."

God's faithfulness is perfect and never ends. It never wavers and He expects the same from us. So, as creatures who cannot love and commit the way God does, how do we live up to that expectation?

It begins with our heart. God has to become everything to us. Our love for Him has to be real and pure, not superficial and subject to our wants and whims.

We have to desire God more than anything. When we love Him like that, we keep our eyes focused on Him and never stray from Him because we have found what we were made to do. We were created to love and worship our God.

Once we discover that He is our purpose and meaning in life, He becomes our passion and our goal. He is worth holding onto and never letting go. Even when others around us fall away. As Peter said:

John 6:68-69

"Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have Words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.'"

Faithful forever. That is our goal.