Faithfulness is one of those words we have to be careful with. As Christians, we have a tendency to cut things out of Scripture and then assign our own meanings to them. Oftentimes, when we discuss faithfulness, we jump right into our own responsibilities and duties toward God. We figure out when, how, and in what way we must obey. And this is all good, we should be faithful. But what we often forget is why…
The ‘why’ is just as and probably more important than anything else. It’s the reason and the foundation for our faithfulness. Without the why our faithfulness is futile and our efforts will only lead to exhaustion and frustration.
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.
Galatians 5:22-23
Faithfulness is a fruit of our relationship with God. This list in Galatians was not meant for Christians to parse out all the words and figure out ways in which they can make themselves more faithful, gentle, or loving. Paul was telling the Galatians that these things come from a relationship with God.
Our Christian lives begin at the cross with the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. We worship Him for His sacrifice, His love, and His mercy. But then we tend to drift. We move away from the power of Christ and the love of God into a me-centered religion of “I’ve got to do this for God. I’ve got to be faithful.”
God certainly wants our obedience. He loves faithfulness, but we must not ever rely on our own efforts to make ourselves good. When Peter walked on water, he was focused on Christ. It was when he turned and focused on the wind and waves that he fell. I can almost hear him thinking, “Jesus called me out here, but it’s windy and stormy. I’m scared, but I’ll try really hard. Maybe I can make myself buoyant.” Of course, that didn’t work. He sank. Focusing on Christ allowed him to be faithful as he walked across the water.
As we seek to love others, remember to cling to the one who sacrificed his life for you. Remember, it is He who gives you the strength, perseverance, and passion to be faithful. We should be like the psalmist who shouts:
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8
Becoming Last 
Keep the first things first. Good post, Matt. Thanks.
Thanks Jason. Always appreciate your comments.
I’m always asking why – so I like this post.
And you are right on – as we connect and seek God, faithfulness is a fruit that grows, we don’t have to manufacture it.
Why is a great word isn’t it? You can definitely tell the difference between people whose life flows from a relationship with God and those who manufacture it. You’re right on.
I really enjoyed this, Matt (?). I’m not sure I know you, but I will hopefully will soon.
Faithfulness is a response, not a requirement… a fruit, not a vine.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
Nice to meet you Marshall and yup, it’s Matt. You’re right. Faithfulness is a response, really, the only logical one to anyone who believes in a risen Savior. Hope to see you around again sometime!
I absolutely loved this statement “Without the why our faithfulness is futile and our efforts will only lead to exhaustion and frustration.” AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
That one hit home for me too. I can always tell those days when I’m trying to do stuff on my own.
Faithfulness is a redemptive process. And someone else does the redeeming. Great post.
Thanks Glynn. It’s great to know we don’t have to fix ourselves up. There is a certain level of obedience, but not without the relationship.
Faithfulness, obedience, and living in Him is a relational equation that adds up to much fruit in our lives. Great post, thanks for sharing!
Peace,
Jay
Not fair. You sum up my whole post in a sentence. Thanks jay!
We can get so focused on ‘doing’ that we lose sight of ‘why’…
I really appreciated these words:
Our Christian lives begin at the cross with the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. We worship Him for His sacrifice, His love, and His mercy.
Thanks, Matt.
Thanks Bridget for doing the carnival. I completely forgot to put a link to it! I’ll fix that tonight or tomorrow morning.
Faithfulness is a fruit of our relationship with God … not meant for Christians to parse out all the words and figure out ways in which they can make themselves more faithful, gentle, or loving … these things come from a relationship with God.
That is good. Really, really good.
Thanks Anne. I appreciate that. Now, if only I could follow my own words 🙂 Sometimes it’s easy to rely on my own strength.
I liked this post. It was earthy and relevant and very pertinent for me.
Thanks!
Thanks Louise!