Growing Faithfulness

Growing anything requires a lot more than to plant a seed, water it, and sit back and wait. It requires more than the desire to grow something as we saw in God Doesn’t Have a Black Thumb. It requires planting the proper seed in the right soil, giving it appropriate amounts of water, sunlight, and sometimes “plant food” in the correct amounts of frequency, and if you can get a decent growth, the plant needs dedicated maintenance. To grow the Fruit of Faithfulness requires an extreme level of grit, strength, stamina, and endurance.

The definition of faithfulness is threefold:

1. Steadfast in affection or allegiance; loyal

2. Firm in adherence to promises or observance of duty; conscientious

3. True to the facts, a standard, or an original

To grow the Fruit of Faithfulness, we must demonstrate all three.

Loyal - Steadfast in Affection or Allegiance

I love coffee. To me, it is the elixir of life. My husband, God bless him, suggested substituting coffee for tea one morning when the coffee maker inexplicably didn’t work. Now, I love tea too - it is my nightly beverage - but substituting coffee for tea in the MORNING? Let’s just say it got ugly. Coffee is so necessary to me that every day starts with it, and if I am forced to endure without my coffee - nothing goes right until I can sip this ambrosia. What’s more - it is obvious to everyone if I haven’t had my morning coffee!

We need to feel the same way about God because He feels that way about us. God’s love for us and His faithfulness to us are connected. “For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever,” (Psalm 117:2). Just as I Am has no beginning nor end, God’s love for us has no boundaries. It was God’s love and faithfulness that sent Jesus to die for our sins: “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided,” (Proverbs 16:6).

We need to be focused on God in the same way. Our day should always start with Him - with a need to infuse our spirits with Him before we do anything else and so we can do everything else. Consistently. Every day. He should consume us to the level that people, even strangers (maybe especially strangers) can tell He is in us.

This is planting the seed of Faithfulness.

Conscientious - Firm in Adherence to Promises or in Observance of Duty

When I got married, there was never any question that I would take my husband’s last name. I couldn’t wait to do so - to make the declaration that I now was a part of him, that his family was now my family, and the world and church would view us as one for the rest of our lives. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are making a similar declaration. We are declaring to the world and church that we are now and forever a part of God’s family. John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” We claim the name and inheritance as children and heirs, and with this name and inheritance comes our duty as children of God.

Make no mistake - if we declare ourselves to be believers, we are confessing Jesus is Lord. That kind of declaration has the power to save us, it’s true, but the proof of where our heart is lies in our actions. It is not enough to simply confess we believe - we have to act like it too. When we accept Jesus, we are making a promise to, a covenant with, God. “I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws, (Psalm 119:30). It is The Danger of Yes.

We are created in the image of God, and each of us has a purpose designed by our Father. Fulfilling our purpose is our duty. It is not optional, it is not a suggestion, and just like Jonah (see You Want Me To Do What?) we cannot run or hide from it. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind,” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

It also has an expiration date: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it,” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). Trying to delay the fulfillment of our promise to God, to follow Him, or outright choosing to ignore our duty to keep His commandments will only result in withered leaves and rotten fruit. Instead, we work purposefully to acknowledge our promise to God when we accept His name and fulfill our duty, our purpose, that He has specifically designed us for.

This is growing the sprouts of Faithfulness.

True to the Facts, A Standard, or an Original

I do not see gray areas - I see only black and white. I don’t draw lines in the sand - I etch them in concrete. The Bible verse of my heart is Matthew 5:37 - “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” I am succinct, explicit, and direct, which quite frankly is difficult for many people to handle, but they also are never confused about where I stand or what I think.

I recently saw a quote that said, “We are living in a time where Satan doesn’t even hide anymore, and the world still can’t see him.” This made me incredibly sad. What has happened to us that we’ve allowed Satan to rule here unsanctioned? To save ourselves or to avoid conflict, we have muted the truth of God. We have allowed The Deceiver to convince the lost that there is no God, the Bible is antiquated, and anyone who declares the truth of the Bible is spewing hate speech.

Where is the fire of Elijah that proved there is one God? Where is the confidence of David that slew the giant? Where is the resolve of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refused to bow except to God alone? Where is the call to action of John the Baptist? Where is the righteous anger of Jesus clearing the temple, the grace of Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery but also commanding her to go and sin no more, and the love of Jesus who wept for a lost world?

We’ve come factory-loaded with all of those things: “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen,” (Hebrews 13:20-21). But they must be let out!

We must find our fire, the righteous fire that burns in our soul with the knowledge of who God is and what he can do by declaring: “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench,” (1 Kings 18:36-38).

We must find our courage to go against the giants of Satan’s lies and declare with the power of God as His children: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel,” (I Samuel 17:45-46).

We must find our resolve to not bow to the world at the expense of the Bible and declare or allegiance to God alone: “‘Now then, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, oboes, lyres, zithers, harps, and all the other instruments, bow down and worship the statue. If you do not, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Do you think there is any god who can save you?’ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, ‘Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will. But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up,’” (Daniel 3:15-18).

We must find our voice to proclaim the truth of Jesus and His coming by declaring: “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him,’” (Matthew 3:1-3).

We must follow in the footsteps of Jesus, behave according to His example, and declare through ALL of our actions that, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,’” (John 14:6).

This is maintaining the fruit of Faithfulness.

AMEN