Faithfulness is really the mature fruit of faith. Faith is given to all who believe in Jesus. (Romans 12:3). It is a seed. This seed is capable of growing and maturing. God plants the seed of faith inside of you when you believe in Jesus. As you tend to it, it grows into a fruit, the fruit of faithfulness, which is also a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
Jesus talked about faith
with His disciples. We often think He said that faith the size of a mustard
seed would move mountains. But what He said was that if you had faith
the size of a mustard seed you could move mountains. (Matthew 17:19-20). If you
possessed it. He didn't say the seed would move the mountain,
but once you possess the seed you have the potential to move
mountains. The seed has to grow to the point that moving mountains is a
possibility, but being in possession of it is the first step.
The other day, I gave my
daughter some parsley seeds. If I would have handed them to her and then
immediately asked her to make me a parsley salad would she have been able to?
No. But did she possess parsley? Yes, but in the form of seeds which have to be
planted, nurtured, and given time to grow. Until she had those seeds in her
possession, eating parsley was an impossibility. However, once the parsley
seeds were in her possession it became a possibility. In the same way, once you
possess faith, nothing is impossible.
We're all tested. We're
sent to this earth for the testing of our faith. The earth is our proving
grounds--the furnace which burns off the dross and reveals the purity of our
hearts because of our faith in Jesus. (See Psalm 12:6, Isaiah 48:10).
Consider the man born
blind. (John 9). His disciples asked Him whose fault it was that the man was
born blind. In the Old Testament, whenever the children of Israel disobeyed or
got off into sin, sure enough sickness, disease, or calamity of some type
happened. When they would repent, then healing and deliverance came. We see the
pattern over and over again. The disciples knew that, so when they saw the
blind man they wanted to know whose sin was responsible for his condition.
Jesus surprised them by saying neither. This man was born into a situation, but
Jesus came to bring healing and deliverance to him.
We are all born into
situations, some better than others, but all of us go through tough times
throughout our lifetime. Times of trials and testing. These situations of life
test us, they reveal things like what kind of person we are, and who (or what)
our trust is in. Although really, its the Word of God that is tested, but along
with that our faith in Him and His Word is tested. Hopefully, it will be proven
to be genuine--the real thing. The Bible tells us that the trying of our faith
is more precious than gold. (1 Peter 1:3-9). Jesus knows what its like to go
through tough times. He lived on the earth as a man and was tempted in every
way that we are. (Hebrews 4:15).
The only way to test
faith is to measure it by faithfulness. Anyone can believe for five minutes.
But when the pressure is on for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years, will
your faith remain strong? Or maybe its not a long time of testing, but an
intense period. Either way, if you remain true to the Lord, you have proven
your faithfulness. Faithfulness is proven faith. Faith matures into
faithfulness as it grows. The same is true of patience. Being patient for five
minutes is not a true test of patience (in most cases). But remaining patience
through the entire test or trial proves you have genuine patience.
It's also important to
realize that the ultimate test of your faith is not whether or not you can turn
a situation from bad to good, but whether you will remain
faithful through the testing period. We often think that being able to
proclaim a thing and see it happen instantly is a sign of great faith. However,
look at these three examples:
- Job...After
Job lost his children, his wealth, and his health, he said, "Though
He slay me, I will hope in Him" (Job 13:15). During his entire time
of testing he did not sin or blame God (Job 1:22). He knew something about
faithfulness. Even though God allowed Satan to do all he did to Job, he
still kept his eyes on God. He was his hope for deliverance.
- Joseph...His
brothers sold him into slavery and told his father he was dead (Genesis 37). He went through hard times--being away from his family, false
accusations, imprisonment, and yet he remained faithful to God.
- Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego... When Nebuchadnezzar gave
the command for everyone to fall down and worship his statue, they refused
stating that they will only worship God. He threatened to throw them in
the fiery furnace and they responded by saying that God is able to deliver
them from the furnace, but even if He didn't, they still wouldn't bow down
and worship a false god. (Daniel 3:16-18).
In all three of these
examples, they came through their trials with the blessing of God. Job ended up
with twice of what he lost (Job 42:10). Joseph became second in command in
Egypt and saved God's nation of Israel from extinction. In Egypt he was
promoted and able to prepare the nation to survive a coming famine, saving the
nation of Israel in the process. He told his brothers, what they meant for evil
the Lord used for good (Genesis 50:20). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came
out of the furnace unharmed and not even smelling like smoke. Their
faith--really their faithfulness--was tested and proven to be genuine (Daniel3:26-27).
In the book of Hebrews11, we read of some who didn't receive the promise before they died. However,
they saw them from a distance and realized that this earth is not their true
home. What happens here is not the end, God is preparing a much better place
for us on the other side (See Hebrews 11:13-16, John 14:1-3).
What happens if your
faith(fulness) fails? You still have seeds. As long as you have faith in Jesus,
you have the seed of faith within you. You still have your measure of faith He
gave you. Jesus prayed for Peter that His faith wouldn't fail (Luke 22:31-32).
Peter went through a time of testing when Jesus died, but he came through it
and lived to proclaim the gospel as he was called to do. Jesus is praying for
you too! He's praying for your faith to remain strong. He's praying for you to
remain faithful during the trials of this earth. (Hebrews 7:23-25).
Prioritize. If you had to choose one thing to
remain at the end of your trial, would it be:
- That
you get your answer to prayer, or
- That
you remain faithful to God during the trial (don't sin, get bitter etc.)
Which would you choose,
if you could only have one? The thing that will last for eternity is
faithfulness. The things of this earth will fade away and sometimes, when you
choose faithfulness, you will get both--like Job, Joseph, and the boys in the
fiery furnace. Just remember that the end doesn't justify the means.
God cares about your
eternal life. He cares about you spiritually, your character, your heart and
motivations. He knows what is most important. At times He may push you. He may
challenge you. Not for punishment, but to strengthen your faithfulness. He is
building faithfulness in you that will last for all eternity. Isn't that better
than a new car? In fact, anything that will be done away with at the end of
your life, or the end of this age, is less important than the faithfulness, or
any fruit of the Spirit, that is developed during your time of testing.
The seed of faith is
planted in your garden. Its meant to grow and produce fruit. Will you nurture
it? Will you bear the fruit of peace during your time of testing? Will you
produce love during your time of testing? What about joy, gentleness,
self-control, and patience? These are all fruit that you can bear during your
testing time. Faithfulness is the key to it all. The seed of faith grows into
faithfulness. Don't waste your trials, allow them to do the work of purifying
your faith--more precious than gold.