FAITHFULNESS
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Do you ever find yourself thinking this way?
It’s easy to slip into the mindset of doubt and cynicism. We live in a broken world, and we may have gone through painful experiences that cause us to lose our trust in others.
For this reason, faithfulness, a fruit of the Spirit, can be a challenging trait to possess.
If you like doing crosswords, lots of times the answer being sought is a synonym – a word with the same/similar meaning. Some common synonyms of faithful are constant, loyal, resolute, staunch, and steadfast.
In the Bible, the story of Abraham demonstrates the importance of faithfulness. Abraham and his wife Sarah struggled to trust God but learned the value of faithfulness when they submitted to him. Abraham and Sarah waited many years for God to fulfil his promise of giving them a son. Because of her lack of faith, Sarah insisted upon Hagar, her maid, giving birth to her son. This resulted in pain and conflict. However, when Abraham and Sarah put their faith in God, Sarah was able to give birth to Isaac despite being past childbearing age. Ultimately, the story of Abraham shows how God blesses those who are faithful and trust in his plans.
Faithfulness comes from a place of trust and loyalty. Hebrews 11:1 says: Now faith is a confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. As a Christian, it is important to be faithful to God. It is one thing to simply believe in him, but another to be faithful to him. When we are truly faithful to God, this shapes the way we live.
So, how do we grow in our faithfulness?
We can grow in our faithfulness by having a personal relationship with Christ. If we are truly faithful to him and obey his commands, this will be evident in our lives.
Faithfulness affects every relationship we have. The Bible says it is a gift from God. When we receive Christ as Lord, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and brings the blessings of love, joy, peace, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). The fullness of these blessings depends on walking with God and yielding to his Spirit. We should be faithful to read and abide by God’s Word and to seek the Lord in prayer (Psalm 1:1,2; Ephesians 6:18).
I thank God for all of you faithful Lutheran Women of Australia members, and your heart for the Lord and his Kingdom, giving generously, be it monetary or in care for friends, family, and community. Pray that more are moved to join us on this journey.
Blessings,
Grace Kroehn
About the Author
