“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
As we discuss faithfulness, loyalty comes to mind. For example, a person who is faithful to their spouse is also being loyal. They are not devoting their time, their feelings, or their resources to any one else. They are consistently mindful of their commitment to that other person. They are not faithful only some times or when they feel like it, it is all the time. Being faithful to God is the same idea, we are to be devoting our time Him, connecting with Him, being in prayer with him and reading His word so we are able to get to know Him better.
When we talk about our feelings in being faithful to God, we are talking about continuing to serve Him even when we don’t get what we want, whether that is a situation not ending the way we wanted it to or we don’t a material object that we wanted. We need to stay connected even when we don’t feel like it, even when praying feels hard and we are tempted to try something different. These are the moments when being faithful to God is important. Remembering our commitment to God can help us stay focused on Him and not the gratification that our flesh is desiring at that moment.
In regards to our resources, we should be willing to share what God has given us with others so that the kingdom of God is able to expand. I am not talking just monetary resources but also time. Spending time helping others come to know Jesus in your church or community is giving of your resources as well.
Being faithful to God can be hard and we all face the temptation to walk away from Him. We are tempted daily because we want to fit in with the crowd of people who are important to us. However, walking away from God when we don’t get our way or when the temptation we are facing seems easier than remaining close to God is the opposite of faithful and let’s remember that God has been nothing but faithful to us.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for always being faithful to us even when we are not faithful to You. Temptations are strong to walk away from You and fit in with the crowd around us, so please help us to want to cling to You and not take the easy way out. Please be with anyone who is facing those temptations to not be faithful to You today. Be with us as we go through our day, hopefully showing others what being faithful to You looks like. In Jesus’s name. Amen