Fruit of the Spirit-Faithfulness
Our next fruit of the spirit is faithfulness (longsuffering)…. Faithfulness has to do about persevering with endurance, moving toward a goal or target inspite of obstacles, finishing strong. It means also enduring people who maybe ‘grace testers’ instead ‘blessing bringers! You know what I mean. (Hey maybeI’m one of them!)
God brings them into our lives to ‘refine our rough edges!’ To make us people who respond with character rather than react with our emotions.
Faithfulness also has to do with finishing your God-given assignment, ruling and reigning with Christ in your sphere of authority, and working patiently with others in building the kingdom. It’s also part of our practical daily living. Showing up for work, day after day, without whining! Being an example to the younger generation of simply being responsible.
I once worked at a high-end shopping mall, doing maintenance, and I was feeling under the weather and told one of the bosses I may not be in tomorrow! He basically said, ‘show up anyway!’ And I did. And I resolved to show up for work no matter what I felt like. Of course, not everyone embraces that philosophy! I value faithfulness or ‘grinding it out!’
The other term the bible uses here is long-suffering, which means unflinching endurance, forbearance, or faith that prevails.
May the Lord put that virtue in our arsenal so we can release it to others!
Merry Christmas and Happy Tevet, our new Hebrew month!
