Fruit of the Spirit – Faithfulness

In a description of a faithful person – who comes to mind? Got a picture of them in your mind?

Now, do these words describe them? – loyal, steadfast, staunch, devoted, true, dedicated, persevering..,can be counted on when things get tough.

Ron Smith / slog

GBHS HOF induction speech – “heroes”

 

The Tuskegee Airmen were World War II soldiers who belonged to a 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The nickname “Red Tails” was coined after the group painted the tails of their aircraft red.

The Tuskegee Airmen became famous for two reasons. First, they were the first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces. But the Red Tails hold a special significance in American history, not just racially, but militarily. In the European air war, U.S. bombers were getting shot down at increasingly alarming rates. The problem arose when the enemy attacked.

Fighter pilots, protecting the bombers, would leave the bomber to engage enemy aircraft.

Though this seemed like the obvious response, it meant leaving the bombers vulnerable to attack. Each lost bomber carried a crew of 10 or 11 Americans.

The Tuskegee Airmen were brought in and given a different strategy: Never leave the bombers.

Never. Regardless of what was happening around them. When the enemy attacked, stay the course and defend your charge. The result of their steadfast devotion? Only 25 of the hundreds of bombers they protected during the war were lost. Their stellar reputation became legend: If you flew a bomber, you wanted the Red Tails with you. On the movie screen, the Tuskegee Airmen gather around each other on an airstrip in a foreign land and shout their motto: “The last plane, the last bullet, the last man, the last minute, we fight!”

The Tuskegee Airmen are celebrated, not just because they were excellent pilots, but because they never wavered from their duty; they never left their charge. No matter what happened, they stayed faithful to their calling. Source: Wayne Drash, “A Midair Courtship: Tuskegee’s Historic Love Story,” CNN.com (1-22-12)

Abraham:

  •  Story: This portrait is as much about the faithfulness of God as it is about Abraham. Originally named Abram, he is called by God to leave everything he knows and go to a land that will be in his future. God was going to give him not just land but a family that would impact the world. He had to have the guts to go and then endure several challenges, including a willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God, though God ultimately provides a ram as a substitute. Closer look:

Daniel:

  • Story: Daniel was a young man taken into captivity in Babylon, made a eunuch and then trained to conform to Babylonian culture. He and his friends go after ordeals that test them but every time, even when thrown into a dean of lions, they come out with unwavering faith. Closer look: Chap. 1 – “10” –

Mary, the Mother of Jesus:

  • Story: Mary, a girl from Nazareth, receives a message from the angel that God is to make her pregnant and she would give birth to God in the flesh. Anger, raised eyebrows, gossip stoning and long-term social disgrace and personal difficulty await. Mary says – “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Stephen:

  • Story: In Acts 6 Stephen is plucked from obscurity to wait on tables in the first major controversy of the early church – there is not enough food for some of the widows. From being a food-dispensing deacon to preaching before the Sanhedrin, he is finally dragged out and stoned for his articulation of the gospel. In the face of death, he prays for the ones stoning him and sees Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father.

Jesus / Temptation in the Wilderness:

  • Story: Jesus gets baptized and is then led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast and pray for forty days. In a weakened state and languishing both physically and emotionally, He is tempted by Satan. He remains faithful, of course. In the midst of hunger, emotional and physical challenge, isolation – he quotes Scripture and endures. He is found faithful.

Jesus / The Crucifixion:

  • Story: Jesus’ ultimate display of faithfulness is the Cross, of course. With the world’s sin on His shoulders and through enormous pain both physical, emotional and spiritual He is tested and found faithful. Closer look: (Mt. 26:35ff) “Arise, let us be going…” Faithful commitment of Gethsemane.

 

Canadian professor and researcher, Beverly Fehr conducted a research study on love and commitment. It was very simple. She had two equivalent groups. One group came up with all of the attributes and characteristics of love, while the other group brainstormed all the attributes and characteristics of commitment. She simply then compared the two lists and found that around two-thirds of the words used for commitment were also used for love. What was her conclusion? Commitment is intrinsic to the very notion and concept of love.

But in today’s dating world, people are trying to get love without commitment. Researchers have a new word for this new relationship status—a “Situationship.”

Time magazine defines it this way:

Somewhere between great love and no-strings-attached lies a category of relationship that is emotionally connected but without the commitment to future planning. It includes going on dates, having sex, and building intimacy, but without a clear objective in mind. Enter situationship.

Situationships are one of the fastest growing relationship trends, which underscores the desire of many singles for an obligation-free relationship. The 2022 a social media site noticed a “49 percent increase in members adding ‘situationships’ to their bios, with young singles saying they prefer situationships as a way to develop a relationship with less pressure.” Although situationships are touted as “more clearly defined than a hook-up,” they still retain tremendous ambiguity with no clarity of commitment, boundaries, or future togetherness. Source; John Van Epp,

“Situationships: Stuck in Transition, Part 1,” Institute for Family Studies (11-30-24)

Jesus just doesn’t call us to situations…he calls us to God-like love, commitment…and to faithfulness.

He may be asking you to review your life right now… what areas of my life need more faithfulness

  • my marriage?
  • the discipleship of my kids?
  • my work?
  • my ministry?
  • my church?
  • most of all … my relationship with God through prayer and Scripture?