Fruit at Camp #7: Faithfulness

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
-Galatians 5:22-23

It’s all Greek to me…

The Greek word we often translate as faithfulness is Pistis, and it also refers to belief, faith, or trust. By calling the Galatians to embody the “fruit” of faithfulness, Paul wanted them to trust God fully.

When I say I’m faithful to a person or loyal to a deadline, that carries one connotation. When I say I’m faithful to God, it’s completely different. I don’t believe or put my faith in a person; I put my faith in God.

When we act with faithfulness, we display the character of someone who can be relied upon. A faithful person ultimately points back to Christ, the only one we can trust with everything. By living faithful, true, and honest lives, we can show others a fraction of Christ’s faithfulness towards us!

Here’s how I’ve seen faithfulness play out in recent weeks…

Pistis at Camp.

I want to zone in on a specific aspect of camp. I don’t know how it happened or how the time has flown so quickly, but we’re wrapping up Week #7 of camp. Minus a few off days, I’ve been at camp almost 40 days this summer. I’m not saying this out of pride – God has called us all to different mission fields this summer.

After going this hard for this long, some people appear to have given up. It’s hard to stay faithful, day in and day out, for two months. I’ll admit that I’ve had doubtful thoughts too. Rising before the sun and going to bed after the sun sets isn’t easy. To add to that, you’re running and walking around all day.

Here’s what I will tell you: When you trust the Lord with everything, He will give you the strength to stay faithful. When I pour into my relationship with the Lord, He fills me with a spirit of faithfulness. The other day I stumbled across a beautiful reminder from God, found in Psalm 37:4. It says…

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.”

You’re probably thinking, “Cool verse, but how does it apply to my life?” Perhaps this is just me, but it had been a long time since I asked myself what my heart truly desired. So I spent time with the Lord, assessing the true wishes of my heart. I also confessed misguided desires.

Before going any further, I want to ask you the same question: What are the desires of your heart? And do they align with God’s plan for your life?

God’s Faithfulness.

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.”
-Lamentations 3:22-23

Please believe me when I say I couldn’t have made it this far without God. Despite the chaos of camp, I’ve felt more rested than ever. And if you’ve been to camp and heard people talk about how tired they are, you’ll know I’m saying something.

God has faithfully given me the energy I needed to make it through the day. Every morning I’ve prayed for God’s strength and energy, and it works.

This summer, I’ve come to a greater understanding that when we make God’s Kingdom and His work the desire of our heart, He equips us with everything we need to serve Him. It’s awesome.

Our Faithfulness.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”
-Philippians 2:3

God also put this verse on my heart. I think it’s the key to unlocking His faithfulness. The Bible repeatedly describes how God is faithful. We know from Scripture that God’s faithfulness exists, but how do we find it?

The journey begins with having the right motives. I’ve spent hours reflecting on this topic over the summer, and here’s what I’ve come to realize: it’s possible to let serving others become a pitfall. It’s possible to (without realizing it) serve others solely because you’re motivated by a desire to appear better than they are.

We went over the Parable of the Prodigal Son during Day Camps last week, and I couldn’t help but notice this theme. The older son was guilty of pride; he thought he could earn his father’s love by working hard or by not doing the foolish things his brother did.

Paul put it clearly in Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)…

God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

To find God’s favour and faithfulness, we must have the right motives. I don’t want God to bless me so I can turn around and rub it in others’ faces. I also don’t want to use God’s faithfulness as a gateway to the Kingdom of Pride (“Look what I’m doing!”).

True faithfulness means believing in God and His plans for you. We can’t stay faithful to God while misusing the “fruits” He’s given us. Strange it took me so long to realize (once again) that I’m working for God, not for people, praise, or pride. Because if you’re in it for yourself, God will always find out. Read Scripture for examples.

As the verse on our camp’s whiteboard proclaims: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23)

Pistis in real life.

How do we stay faithful to God so He can be faithful to us? I think Jesus put it best when he said, “If you love Me, obey My commandments.” (John 14:15) To say it another way: When we are faithful to God’s will and plans, He is faithful to us. But there’s a catch: we need pure motives. We cannot be in it for our own gain.

Here’s how you can join me in embracing God’s faithfulness this summer…

1. Ask yourself, “Do I want God to work in my life this summer?”

2. If YES, “Why do I want God’s faithfulness in my life?”

3. Then, “Am I working to further God’s Kingdom, or build up my own?”

4. Pray that you would stay faithful to God this summer (and beyond).

God’s faithfulness is amazing, and I’ve been blown away by everything He’s done at camp and in my life. God is good and God is faithful to us.

Let’s be faithful to Him in turn. Let’s serve His Kingdom wholeheartedly, and let’s stay faithful…even when we’re tired or run down. For His glory, not my own. For His Kingdom, not my own. Jesus > Anything.

As 1 Samuel 12:24 (NLT) says,

“But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve Him. Think of all the wonderful things He has done for you.”