But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
Galatians 5:22
Since faithfulness is a product of the Spirit of God, our ability to be faithful ultimately flows out of the character & power of God.
Know that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.
Deuteronomy 7:9
God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?
Numbers 23:19
He cannot act out of character with Himself. He is at once faithful and immutable, so all His words and acts must be and remain faithful. Men become unfaithful out of desire, fear, weakness, loss of interest, or because of some strong influence from without. Obviously none of these forces can affect God in any way. He is His own reason for all He is and does. – AW Tozer
Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Galatians 6:1-3
To be filled by faithfulness:
1) Believe Jesus is faithful, for us
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:13
I got, I got loyalty, got royalty, inside my DNA – Kendrick Lamar
To be filled by faithfulness:
1) Believe Jesus is faithful, for us
2) When empty, be filled by His presence & promises
The faithfulness of God is a datum of sound theology but to to the believer it becomes far more
than that: it passes through the processes of understanding and goes on to become nourishing food for the soul…The tempted, the anxious, the fearful, the discouraged may all find new hope and good cheer in the knowledge that our heavenly Father is faithful. – AW Tozer
To be filled by faithfulness:
1) Believe Jesus is faithful, for us
2) When empty, be filled by His presence & promises
3) Know we’re (only) called to be faithful
“The man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’
Matthew 25:22-23
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:8-9
When you hear the word “faithfulness” what comes to mind? Who in your life has been a strong example of being faithful?
Consider verses like Deuteronomy 7:9 and Numbers 23:19 to compare and contrast the character and integrity of God with humanity. Why is it essential to rely upon God to be our ultimate source of our faithfulness?
How was Jesus faithful to the Father and how is He faithful to us? As you are able, feel free to reference scripture passages that speak to the faithfulness of Christ (e.g. 1 John 1:9, Hebrews 13:5).
In view of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, what are some of the ‘talents’ (resources, opportunities, relationships, and abilities) that God has given you? How faithful have you been in leveraging what you’ve been given for the mission of Jesus?
What is one area of your life that you could resolve to be more faithful in? What concrete steps of faith can you take to help you become a more devoted disciple?
