Jesus said “the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” had been neglected (Mt. 23:23). Faithfulness is counted as “more important” to Jesus and should be counted “more important” to us as well.

In a culture where our word carries little weight, this fruit of the Spirit will speak louder than the noise of broken promises and empty expressions.

The biblical use of faithfulness carries the notion of an oath or vow. It is covenant keeping. It is the result of staying put even when it’s hard.

Instead of faithfulness, I see a lot of unfaithfulness around me. You don’t love your husband anymore? Get your own apartment. Separate. You have a conflict at church? Find a new one. You think your job isn’t fair? Just quit. If God lets you down you can quit him too.

We live in an era of quitters. God says don’t be a quitter. Be faithful, stick it out, and keep your word, even when it’s hard.

You know he did that for us. He promised to be a husband to Israel, but Israel committed adultery and worshiped foreign gods. Yahweh didn’t abandon her or go find a new nation. He said, “I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as LORD (Hos. 2:20).

Because he is faithful, God asks for faithful servants today. He wants trustworthy servants. He wants followers who are going to stick with him no matter what.

My “no matter what” came on Jan 4, 2013. My faithfulness was tested. I walked into my room to dress my newborn son. He was dead.

I immediately saw myself at a crossroad. Will I be faithful to the God I claim to serve? Or will all those words of proclamation become empty to all those people I ever pointed to Jesus?

It was hard. But quitting him wasn’t an option. Quitting my marriage or my family wasn’t an option. Quitting life, no matter how hard it was to get my feet on the floor every morning, wasn’t an option.

Staying put was my choice. Remaining faithful to my word, to my vows and to my God was my choice.

He wants the same from all of us. Will you choose to be faithful to him? Will you be faithful to his children? Will you be faithful to his church? Will you be faithful to his Son?

When the world around us experiences our faithfulness, they are experiencing the faithfulness of a God who is pursing them and a God who promised to never let them go. That is fruit of the Spirit.

Serena DeGarmo
www.awordywoman.com