The Fruit of the Spirit (7/9) – Faithfulness
Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
Matthew 25:20-21
"So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents beside them.'
His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'"1 Corinthians 4:2
"Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."
The Lord Jesus once said that we are destined to bear fruit. Our goal in life should, therefore, be to bear lasting fruit that is so valuable to God.
Ultimately, fruit means reflecting the characteristics of the Lord Jesus. When He is seen in us, God is glorified.
In this series, we want to reflect on the individual fruits that the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More wants to work in our lives. And since our Lord is always the perfect role model (cf. Mt 11:29; Jn 13:15; 1 Pet 2:21), we will look directly at incidents from His life where these characteristics become visible.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is … faithfulness ..."
This is about reliability in our relationship with the Lord and with our peers.
A faithful Christian comes to appointments on time, pays bills on time, and carries out entrusted tasks without being reminded. His relationships with his spouse (Heb 13:4) and fellow brothers and sisters are also characterized by faithfulness. He does not withhold anything (Titus 2:10).
His yes is a yes, and his no is a no (Jas 5:12). He keeps his promises, true to the motto "One man – one word," even if this might put him at a disadvantage (Ps 15:4b).
In attending meetings, managing time and money (Lk 16:11), and exercising his gifts, he shows reliable conscientiousness (Mt 25:20, 21). He is a "faithful steward" (1 Cor 4:2). Overall, he is faithful to his Lord like a chaste virgin (2 Cor 11:2, 3). Faithfulness to the Lord takes precedence over faithfulness to others.
Examples of faithfulness in the life of the Lord that we can learn from:
- The Lord Jesus did what He said and said what He did (John 8:25).
- The Lord Jesus remained faithful to Peter, even when he denied Him (Lk 22:32).
- The Lord faithfully carried out His Father's commission, even when it was difficult for Him (Mk 14:36).
