Dear Church of the Open Bible,
A number of years ago, Brittany and I went shopping in Myanmar. We were leading a short-term missions trip to northern Thailand, and one afternoon, we were able to go to a large outdoor market on the border with Myanmar. I’m not much of a shopper, but the deals were terrific. Rolexes, Oakley sunglasses, DVD’s, and more, all dirt cheap! And because all of them were knockoffs. They were poor imitations of the real thing.
We can find this with the fruit of the Spirit, too. Worldly replicas that look good from a distance but, upon closer inspection, are poor substitutes. And the key to recognizing the real deal is to look at the centre of them. Are they God-centered or self-centered?
This is especially true of faithfulness. To be faithful is to be someone in whom confidence can be placed. It often expresses itself in reliability, courage, and assertiveness. When I think of faithfulness, I think of a steadiness that is proven over time, and the names of older believers and mentors come to mind. But there is a knockoff when it comes to faithfulness. Assertiveness with self at the centre produces arrogance and a superiority complex. I may justify my stance as an unwavering commitment to what matters, but without humility, it is just a poor imitation of the real thing.
The fruit of the Spirit is singular. It’s one fruit. The descriptions we have in Scripture are facets or angles of the same fruit. You cannot grow in one facet without growing in the others. You cannot grow in faithfulness without growing in gentleness as well. So, along with these other facets, let’s ask God to produce faithfulness within us.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22–23