Our faithfulness is founded upon God’s faithfulness. As with all fruit of the Spirit, our being faithful is our response to His continually being faithful to us! But while ‘faith’ is a common word in our language, the idea of ‘faith’ is honestly a mystery. We’re all too familiar with the term ‘unfaithful’ and quickly label others by their unfaithful acts or faithlessness. But Jesus . . . Jesus changes everything.
To have faith is basically being okay with not fully understanding or grasping all the ways God is faithful to us! So our response is to keep our eyes fixed on and remain in Him and pursue the mystery of faith in Jesus Christ!
When it comes to faithfulness, we must believe ‘in’ more than believe ‘that’. Our faith can’t be dependent upon outcomes but must be founded on His everlasting love and truth. Faithfulness is lived out little by little and seen through obedience in the moment. ‘For we live by faith, not by sight.’ 2 Cor 5:7
Faithfulness is resting in His certainty, being persuaded by His honesty, trusting in His reality, being won over by His veracity . . . being sure that He’s sure and believing He’s worth believing.’
Beth Moore, Living Beyond Yourself
Faithfulness spurs us forward with boldness, confidence, gratitude, hope, and power as we trust in our Father and His plans. In scripture, faithfulness and righteousness are often discussed together like in these two passages below.
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. – Isaiah 11:5
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. – Psalm 85:10
If faithfulness is believing what the Lord says, righteousness is doing what the Lord says. Or some even go so far as the say these two words are more synonymous than complimentary. Both are included in the Armor of God and serve to protect and strengthen us. So we can say with confidence . . .
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 TIMOTHY 4:7-8
To keep the faith, we stay connected to the Vine. We keep our eyes on Him. His faithfulness reaches to the skies (Psalm 36:5) and continues through all generations (Psalm 100:5). Even when we are faithless, God is faithful! And through the Spirit, we produce His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness . . .
For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. . . . The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
GALATIANS 5:5-6
One beautiful application of faithfulness can be seen in the artwork of my dear friend, Shauna. Like many of us in this middle season of life, the Lord surprises us with random requests for obedience and calls us into roles we never expected. Believing in His faithfulness, Shauna started painting more as a form of worship and spiritual therapy than for others to enjoy. Yet the Lord began to challenge her to reach beyond her comfort zone, bringing Him glory and us all joy through her obedience and faithfulness! Explore what’s included in this post and more of her pieces here!
Burning Bright! 