Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Today we are looking at the quality of faithfulness. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines faithfulness as follows: steadfast in affection or allegiance, loyal, firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty (conscientious), given with strong assurance or binding, such as a faithful promise, true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original, as in a faithful copy.
Faithfulness is one of God’s many attributes. The Bible has a great deal to say about God’s faithfulness.
- Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23reliabilitylovecompassion
- The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
- Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
- Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
(For other Bible verses about faithfulness, check out https://dailyverses.net/faithfulness )
It’s relatively easy to be faithful when all around you are faithful, but how will we behave when others whom we have trusted prove faithless?
Years ago, I had a very wise friend who patiently listened to my complaints about the training program I was in, the struggles I was having, etc. Once I had finished dumping my load of grief on this kind lady, she asked me one question: “Are you acting or reacting?”
If we persist in “React” mode, we are allowing others to control our characters. We will bounce around like a new ping pong ball in a tile bathroom; in short, our feelings will be all over the place. But if we chose to act instead of reacting, we must analyze situations and then ask God how He wants us to behave. Yesterday, I told the story of how my mother won over my grandmother with persistent kindness. But today I want to tell another story from my mother’s life, a much sadder one.
My mother returned to college to complete her B.A. when she was 35 years old. For six years Mom commuted 80 miles round trip each class day, taking partial course loads as time and finances would allow until she graduated successfully in 1963. That fall Mom began teaching high school English at a local high school, proving to be one of the most successful and inspirational teachers at the school. Mom was well liked by her fellow teachers and was always telling us stories about her colleagues and her students.
Mom expected to remain at that position until retirement; however, problems arose. Mom had headed the English department for years, but when a new principal arrived, he immediately gave that position to a man who was far junior to Mom. This principal had just completed his Master’s degree and was in his first position as a principal. Even though Mom had taught at that school for 13 years and had a record of motivating failing students to complete and continue for further training, this man wanted to demonstrate that HE was in control. I seriously doubt that there was any attempt at discussion; I suspect Mom came in ahead of the school year to find the decision had been taken without any explanation and that she was just supposed to accept it. Mom’s heart was broken; she never expected to be treated so unkindly. All those years of work appeared to count for nothing. Blessedly, one of Mom’s fellow teachers had secured his Master’s degree and was now heading the Junior High School. This kind man immediately invited Mom to teach Junior High English instead, a post she held gladly for two years before retiring.
Upon reflection, I know that Mom’s basic problem was a reaction to the faithlessness demonstrated by that new principal. Had Mom trusted God and His faithfulness, she could have weathered the situation far better. Mom remained faithful to that school system, but I’m not certain she ever forgave that principal.
Two generations ago, many people would enter the workforce at a company, expecting to remain there for the rest of their working lives. These days, companies have no loyalty to their workers and workers repay that attitude by jumping from one company to another. More than 50% of marriages end in divorce. Student athletes who have been playing for one school on scholarship may enter the portal and suddenly shift to another school.
Faithfulness and loyalty appear to have gone out of style; yet, both are very necessary for any meaningful human relationship. Trust is easily destroyed but takes large amounts of time to build. We can choose to act faithfully, even when others disappoint us with their faithlessness. This does not mean that we have to offer ourselves as victims to someone who only wants to use us; however, it does mean that we will guard the reputations of others, insofar as we can. Having said this, there are times when we are forced to become whistle blowers, reporting wrong-doing even if we jeopardize our positions. Our number one loyalty must be to God and not to people.
This Christmas, why not seek out friends with whom you haven’t connected for a while? Communicate with them, encourage them, and demonstrate that their loyalty is precious to you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Please send the Holy Spirit to empower us to be faithful as You are faithful. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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