Welcome back to the MaverickRx Fruit of the Spirit Challenge! Today we are sharing about faithfulness. Please try to join us tomorrow morning, Thursday at 8:30 for our Facebook discussion of this week’s topic.
In case you missed it, last week we talked about goodness!
Let’s get to it! This week we’re talking about FAITHFULNESS!
SCRIPTURE:
Proverbs 19:21
21 There are many plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s plan that will stand.
DEFINITION OF FAITHFULNESS:
1: strict or thorough in the performance of duty
2: true to one’s word, promises, vows, etc.
3: steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends
4: reliable, trusted, or believed
REFLECTION:
Faithfulness looks very much like loyalty wrapped in trust. When we are faithful to God and trust him, we are free to live our lives with less weight and stress. We are free to show up as our true selves. Rhonda and I have circled back to this scripture in Proverbs countless times. When we:
- try to create our own solutions only to feel stuck
- realize we are forcing our will over His
- strive to fit timelines on our own time tables
Not being in control is such a hard feeling. We like the idea that if we can just find the right rythm and stay on the beat, everything will run as smooth as a symphony orchestra. When one instrument goes down though, everything sounds off and we feel compelled to scramble and find the fix or create the solution: tune the instrument, replace the chord, tighten the bow.
We’ve learned that our solutions are not the same as His solutions. Our solutions often amplify the problem or cause us additional stress. Being faithful as a Christian is allowing God to assure us of what we do not see. It is trusting him to share his plan with us when he sees that we are ready. Faithfulness requires us to do the hardest thing: submit.
There are countless Biblical stories of God blessing those who are faithful. Ruth could have gone off on her own to create a new life after the death of her husband, but she chose to remain with Naomi. Sarah and Abraham had Isaac when Sarah was very, very old – after decades of not having a child. Arrested and thrown into a lion’s den for praying, Daniel emerged unscathed. In all of these instances, God rewarded faithful people.
One of the hardest things for me to hear in the age of corona is that we are living in a “new normal.” I don’t like the saying because nothing feels “normal” and it encourages our longing for the past. I, for one, do not want to pine for the pre-corona days. I will put my trust in God and have faith that where he leads us will be better than where we were.
It is ok to be uncomfortable. It is ok to not understand the world around us. It is ok to feel overwhelmed and stressed and unsure of the next right move. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your own. My hope is that you will rely on your faith in God and trust that the next right step will be revealed to you when it should be. Until then, keep showing up as YOU.
ACTION CHALLENGE:
What is getting in the way of your faithfulness today? Can you give it over to God?