Let’s Look Like Jesus: Faithful

And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:  Ruth 1:16

The Spirit of Christ exudes faithfulness and the character built on Christ can be equally steadfast!  During Christ’s earthly life His Spirit demonstrated fidelity to the heart of the Father; the character of the Christian is intended to do the same.

The ancient words of today’s scripture model the attitude of the Christian:  ‘whither thou goest, I will go…’. While Ruth’s words were spoken in loyalty to her earthly mother-in-law, our commitment is to be to  God alone.  Our character, embodied with the life of Christ, readily responds to the movement of the Spirit.  Obediently presenting our lives as living sacrifices to God necessitates a Christ-like character.  It is only such a character which demonstrate fidelity to the cause of Christ.

Our natural selves continually demand loyalty to our own dreams, desires and felt needs.  Sacrificing our self-will for the will of the Father is possible only as we surrender ourselves to Christ’s transforming power.  The glory of God will flow forth from a character rooted and nurtured in Christ’s character.  Ask God to reveal to you the sacrifices of self which would please Him most today.

Another aspect of ‘faithful’ is trustworthiness.  Jesus was reliable; from his earliest days, he knew–and expected others to know–what he would be about.  When separated from his family at the conclusion of a religious celebration, he asked his distraught parents, “Why were you looking for me?  Didn’t you know where I would be?”

Every activity and aspect of Christ had an inherent integrity which made Him wholly trustworthy.  In 1 Corinthians 4:2, Paul exhorts believers of the need to be found faithful–to be trustworthy.  That word is the essence of Christ’s life: to be ‘faithful’ meant to be steadfast to one’s Word and promises, to be worthy of belief and to be a believer.  Christ was all of those things and as His servants, we are to be the same.

Those who walk this life journey with us need to be able to trust us.  Our words must be fulfilled in our actions.  Our promises must be certain lest those we walk with draw a conclusion that our belief in Jesus is not trustworthy either.  Throughout scripture we have examples of faithful, trustworthy characters.

Daniel’s detractors were unable to accuse him because he was so trustworthy and never negligent to his duties.  Joseph had the complete trust of those he served–whether the prison guard or the pharaoh–because he was trustworthy.  Living the Christian life is about ‘how’ we live not just what we do.  Growing into the likeness of Christ will involve a character that resonates trustworthiness.

Such a character trait must be intentionally integrated into every activity of our life.  In our world, there are so many opportunities to do good things and be busy for the Lord.  Yet, we are only vessels of clay and can not do all things well.  We are to be busy about good things, but we must never allow ourselves to be so busy we can not be faithful in all that we do.  We are to do all things for the glory of God and if the activities we choose are so excessive that this key spirit of reliability is lost, we fail to bring Him glory.  We also fail to evidence another aspect of faithfulness:  right-focused belief.  Our belief must be in God’s power and provision, not our own productivity.  Solid belief in our Lord, will help us live in a way that others will believe too!

Can people trust you to do what you say you will do?

How do you feel when someone promises something and then does not follow through?

What should you do if you make a hasty commitment and then have to withdraw?

Verses to read and discuss:

A few of the examples of faithfulness in scripture:  Luke 2:49; Nehemiah 13:13; Daniel 6:4

What does Jesus say about being faithful?  What do scriptures say about the blessings of faithfulness?   Matthew 24:45-46; Psalm 101:6

A key trustworthy part of our life is?:  1 Timothy 1:15; 2 Timothy 2:11; Revelation 21:15

Allow your life to be flooded with Christ’s character and you will be awed by the expansiveness you have entered into!  The world will be changed by His presence.  Faithful and True is a treasured name of Christ.  His Names are a great way to understand more of His character.  Fixing Our Eyes on God is a resource to help you know Him more!

The character of Christ is a treasure God has entrusted to our clay vessels.  Receive Him!