Holy Saturday: Faithfulness

None of us like being uncomfortable or misunderstood. When jobs, churches, or some relationships become especially challenging or frustrating we are tempted to look for the exit door. The allure of “greener grass” looms on the horizon and promises relief when our present circumstances become overwhelming.

There are certainly contexts or relationships that can become so toxic that a transition is required. However, the fruit of faithfulness is becoming harder to find in today’s society. Faithfulness is about staying power and about enduring the crucible of life on behalf of those around us.

Jesus remained faithful in everything that He did. First and foremost He was faithful to His Father’s plan to bring life and peace to the earth and ultimately to die for our sins. Secondly, He was faithful to us. 

The very world that He came to love and serve is the world that mocked, abused, and ultimately killed Him. He experienced adversity, anger, and antagonism almost everywhere that He turned. The people He was closest to abandoned Him, and very few people ever expressed gratitude for His service. It would have made sense for Him to change course and determine that we and this world were not worth His time or His life. 

Thankfully, He remained faithful.

As we look at the verse from Jeremiah 12:5 we discover that quitting small things will almost always beget bailing out when we face more challenging things. If we train ourselves to backout when things get tough it will become a pattern in almost every relationship or context in which we find ourselves. But the opposite is true. If we endure and remain faithful in the face of hardship, it creates resilience and endurance. It demonstrates to those around us that we are both safe and reliable. 

The Spirit is the one who gives us the power of faithfulness and He is the one who can help us remain faithful, even when we are drawn towards the exit. He was and is faithful to us in all circumstances, and He desires to produce that same type of faithful fruit within us.