At first glance we might assume we don’t need to look at what being faithful means. Isn’t that what taking on Christ means? Yes! But we easily can confuse acting faithful with being faithful—attending worship, tithing, praying regularly assisting the needy and the other acts we do in the name of Christ. These activities are good and necessary. But they aren’t the crux of what it means to be faithful.

When we look at the word as meaning faith-full-ness we understand why Paul included it among the fruit. Being full of faith means that the ground of our being rests in our trust that God is with us in all situations. It means we are sure the future will continue to be graced by God. It means we rely on the comfort, counseling and support of the Holy Spirit in times of pain and joy. It means we know in our heart of hearts that God loves us to the ends of the earth and back and nothing we do can change it.

When we shift our faith in God from thinking it is based on our activities for God to being based on a deep relationship with God, the result is that we serve God from deep within our hearts. That is why Paul included faithfulness.

Have a blessed September.