S4P7 – The fruit of faithfulness

Gal 5: 22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such things there is no law.

Faithfulness is showing that one can be trusted fully.  In Paul’s letter to Titus, he speaks of faithfulness in the context of a believing slave and his master.  Paul says that believing slaves should be subject to their masters in everything and try to please them.  They should not steal from or talk back to their masters.  And this is to be done so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. It is through this faithfulness by obedience that the slave would draw his master to the God who would give him the capacity to be faithful.

There are two kinds of faithfulness at play in the life of the believer.  Faithfulness to God is typically private and unseen by others.  Faithfulness to other people, however, is quite visible, at least to the recipient of it.  Paul is telling us that our faithfulness to people, in the correct context and without infringing on our faithfulness to God, points them to our Savior.  Not only that, it makes the teachings about him appealing.  Our faithfulness to others paints the gospel in a favorable light the same way that a pattern of betrayal would cause others to doubt the trueness of our faith.

Doubtless we all have masters in our lives to whom we should show that we can be trusted fully.  Doubtless we sometimes resent these hierarchies and rebel against them or neglect to carry out our duties as we should.  When that attitude arises in us, we should remember that our behavior will paint a portrait of the gospel, good or bad.  We decide which portrait will be painted.  Father, impart to us a measure of faithfulness so that we would be shown trustworthy and so that your gospel is shown to be true.