In all of the fruit of the Spirit, we actually see the attributes of God. God IS love. He provides peace. He IS our joy. God is kind and good.

These attributes of God were also characteristics of Jesus, his Son. Then Jesus promised that . . .

. . . the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

Thus, the characteristics of the Father and Son are available to us through the Holy Spirit.

One year when I was engaged in a Bible study, an on-going question on the worksheets was, “What attribute of God do you see in these verses?” Frequently, my answer was “faithfulness.”

Just as faithfulness characterizes God, He wants to develop that same characteristic in us.

We’re not talking about having faith in God, though belief in God is necessary. No, we’re talking about being faithFULL, being faithful TO God just as He is faithful to us.

The Greek word for faithfulness means steadfastness, trustworthiness, and stable. A friend or a spouse desires and expects a stable, trustworthy relationship from us. God expects that, too.

Last Sunday, I taught a lesson about Caleb being the one to continue the battle to conquer the Promised Land after Joshua died. Caleb was the faithful one who wholeheartedly loved God and was the natural choice. He was the one needed.

Maybe there is a situation in your life where you are the one who is needed to move things along. You have been faithful to God and He’s giving you the next step. You move forward remembering,

Nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

Perhaps you’ve put off something long enough and God is saying, “You’re the only one that can do this. Be faithful to me. Trust me with this.”

If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. Psalm 46:1

I have been faithful to God through a particular aspect of my life and He has been faithful to move me forward with great leaps and bounds. But I’ve been dragging my feet about moving things on to completion and I’m the one who is needed. I can’t put it off on anyone else. I mustn’t put it off any longer.

Lord, help me to be faithful, even though I feel so ill equipped. Help me to rely on you, faithfully move to the next step, and trust you to be my refuge and strength.

~ Joyce ~