Fruit Of The Spirit - Faithfulness

Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness

Galatians 5:22-23

May 20, 2018

On December 5, 1914, Ernest Shackleton embarked on what he called “the last great polar expedition to Antarctica.” His crew of 27 men set out on the ship called Endurance. For 6 weeks they fought through frigid seas and ice floes trying to reach Antarctica, until the ship became frozen in the ice. All they could do was wait it out until the Spring thaw. They ship became stuck on February 24 and the thaw came on October 23. That’s 8 months waiting on the ship.

The ice shifted as it melted and crushed the ship and it ultimately sank. Shackleton’s new mission was to get every man home safely.

So, they set up camp on a giant ice floe, hoping the current would carry them toward Paulet Island, where provisions were stored. But the ice carried them further out to sea. They made it to an uninhabited place called Elephant Island.

For the first time in 497 days, they set foot on land. Elephant Island was far from any shipping route, and no one on earth knew they were there. Shackleton determined their only course of action was to take one of the life boats and head for a whaling station on South Georgia Island for help. That would be an 800 mile journey across treacherous waters. Shackleton promised those left behind, he would come back for them, and the 22 men left behind assured themselves that if anyone could save them, it was Shakleton.

After 14 days they arrived at South Georgia Island, but on the wrong side. They had to hike across 22 miles of mountainous terrain to get to the supplies. Shackleton and his group trudged 36 hours without sleep before stumbling into the whaling camp.

He acquired supplies and a new ship. His first three attempts to return, failed, as sea ice prevented him from reaching Elephant Island. On his 4th attempt, Shackelton made it through the ice, and as he approached the island, he saw men gathering on the shoreline to greet him. Every man remained. They believed and trusted that Shackelton was a man of his word. He kept his commitment. We could say Ernest Shackelton was a man of faithfulness.

That’s the fruit of the Spirit we’re looking at this morning. We’re looking at the 9 different Fruits of the Spirit, so we can better understand who God is calling us to be in our everyday relationships.

Paul told the struggling church in Galatia ~ Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS,

23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

We’ve met people of faith, but what does Paul mean when he talks about faithfulness? What really is it and what does faithfulness look like in the church?

Obviously, faithfulness comes from faith. We can say FAITH is believing in what we cannot see. It’s trusting in someone who is going to do something for us.

Faith is the basis for our relationship with God. To have faith in God is to trust God, to take Him at His word, and to put our confidence in Him. And God is worthy of that trust. When God says He’ll provide, He provides; when He says He’ll forgive, He forgives; when He says He’ll be there, He’s there. In other words, God is faithful. He delivers on His promises.

And I say all of that knowing there are times when we really wonder if God is reliable and faithful. Sometimes it seems like life is punching and kicking us, then pulling out our hair, along with calling us some not so nice things. I understand that, but in spite of the hardships, the tragedies and disappointments of life, I still believe God is faithful and worthy of worship.

Faithfulness has to do with our character. It’s about being committed, demonstrating integrity and showing a strong, steady and consistent character.

When you think about people in our lives, we don’t often describe them as faithful. We say they were good, kind and caring. We’re probably more apt to describe our dogs as faithful.

Paul is using this word to help us understand how we should be in our relationships with one another. In the same way that God is faithful to us, we are called to be faithful to one another.

The dictionary defines faithful as ~ true to one's word, promises, and vows.

Steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant; trusted. Reliable and believed.

Implies qualities of stability, dependability, and devotion. A steadfast fidelity to whatever one is bound to by a pledge, duty, or obligation. Unswerving allegiance to a person, organization, cause, or idea.

Faithfulness means keeping your word, no matter what. Let’s say you promise a friend you’ll come over and play video games on Saturday. Then another friend calls and invites you to go to a movie that day — something you like better. What do you do? If you’re a faithful friend, you keep your word and play video games, even though it means passing up a better offer.