Choosing Faithfulness

God has called us to live differently — to live set apart.

In Galatians 5, we are given a picture of what a life led by the Holy Spirit looks like.

These are not personality traits. They are not things we manufacture on our own. They

are evidence of the Holy Spirit living and working inside of us.

But walking in the Spirit is not passive. It is something we choose daily as we surrender

our flesh, our emotions, and our circumstances to Christ.

Each week, we will focus on one Fruit of the Spirit and what it looks like to live it out in

our everyday lives — in our marriages, in our families, and in the world around us.

As we continue walking through the Fruit of the Spirit, this week we

focus on faithfulness.

Galatians 5:22-23

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

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

The Greek word for faithfulness is pistis. It means the character of one

who can be relied on. Someone who consistently is doing what one says he

will do.

When I think about this kind of faith, my mind goes to Matthew 9:1–2:

“And behold, some people brought to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And

when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son;

your sins are forgiven.’”

This is the kind of faith I desire to have.

The friends of the paralyzed man knew he needed healing — and they

knew exactly who could heal him. Their friend could not get to Jesus on

his own, so they brought him to Him.

They showed up.

They carried him.

They believed.

And when Jesus saw their faith, He responded. Not only did He heal the man physically, but He also healed his heart and forgave his sins. That kind of faith moves me.This is the kind of faithfulness I want to live out in my own life — a faith

that is active, intentional, and willing to carry others to Jesus when they

cannot get there on their own.

I want to be the kind of friend, spouse, and parent who can be relied on.

Someone who points others to Christ. Someone who believes that Jesus is still the answer.

Because the truth is, we may not know someone who is physically

paralyzed…

But we all know people who are hurting.

People who are carrying wounds that cannot be seen.

People who feel stuck, broken, or unable to move forward.

The question is:

Are we the kind of people who will carry them to Jesus?

Do we have the kind of faith that believes He can still heal — not just

physically, but emotionally and spiritually?

Faithfulness is not just what we believe.

It is how we live.

It is how we show up for others.

Today, ask yourself:

Am I someone others can rely on to point them to Jesus?

Am I willing to carry those who are hurting to the One who can truly heal?

Have faith, sweet friend.

And have the courage to show others the way to Him.

Next week we will look at the fruit of the Spir