Faithfulness Is A Persistent Commitment To What Is Right

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – FAITHFULNESS #3

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

The Sins of Judah

In Jeremiah 5:1-2 NLT says, “1 Run up and down every street in Jerusalem,” says the Lord. “Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one just and honest person, I will not destroy the city. 2  But even when they are under oath, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
they are still telling lies!”

In Malachi 3:10-12 AMPC says, “10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

During a recent political scandal, lawmakers rated perjury – but not immorality – as an impeachable offense. In the search for national morality, the character of many other lawmakers was called into question as well. Integrity seemed in short supply.

We can understand Jeremiah’s quest for an honest person, for we, too, live in dishonest times. But Jeremiah stayed true to God and committed to doing right. We can look to Him for our own encouragement. We can be faithful to God’s purposes for us even when others are doing evil.

In John 9:24-34 NLT says, “24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25 “I don’t know whether He is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did He heal you?” 27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples, too?” 28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this Man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where He comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He couldn’t have done it.” 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.”

Not content with their cross-examination of the healed man, the Pharisees called him in a second time with a command, “Give glory to God by telling the truth.” The Pharisees tried to make the man confess his wrong in proclaiming our Lord Jesus Christ as a prophet and to make him agree with them that our Lord Jesus Christ was a sinner.

But the healed man would not give in; he would not say whether or not our Lord Jesus Christ was a sinner. What he would say was what he had experienced: “I know this: I was blind, and now I can see.“

The Pharisees relentlessly asked who did the healing and how it happened. Perhaps they hoped the man would contradict his earlier story so they could accuse him. The religious leaders were making such extensive inquiry about our Lord Jesus’ identity that it would appear they wanted to follow Him – when actually they had no intention of becoming His disciples.

The religious leaders were unable to throttle the healed beggar’s willingness to testify for our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the more the Pharisees questioned this man who had received his sight, the stronger and clearer he became about our Lord Jesus Christ. At first, the man recognized His healer as “the man they call Jesus” (John 9:11); then he knew our Lord Jesus Christ was “a prophet” (John 9:17); then he saw our Lord Jesus Christ as one who was “from God” and had performed a miracle never done before (John 9:32-33). Finally, when confronted by our Lord Jesus Christ, he believed that our Lord Jesus Christ is the “Son of Man” (the Messiah), worthy of worship (John 9:35-38).

In Nehemiah 5:6-11 NLT says, “6 When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. 7 After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. 8 At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.
9 Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? 10 I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. 11 You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”

In Nehemiah 5:6 NLT, Nehemiah very angry when he heard their cry and those words – His anger aroused, Nehemiah called a public trial, where he strongly rebuked the money-lenders. From papyri of the Jews at Elephantine, Egypt, it is determined that in the mid-fifth century B.C., 60 percent interest was being charged (Clines). As a contrast, Nehemiah offered the example of himself and others who helped fellow Jews in difficult economic straits, without any desire for personal profit. He pleaded with rich creditors to not only stop their immoral and oppressive business methods, but also to give the poor people back all that was taken from them. The practices were in violation of the Hebrew law (Leviticus 25:36; Deuteronomy 23:19). The lenders expressed their willingness to do this (Nehemiah 5:12), probably with mixed motivations of shame, genuine humility, and fear. To make sure they would really do it, Nehemiah made each one perform the solemn and significant act of shaking a fold of the robe, which is somehow associated with taking an oath (Yamauchi). It is recorded that the rich men did indeed do as they had said they would.

Surely, those of us who love God recognize our special obligation to honor those who love God. How do we serve others? The Jews who were doing better financially after repatriation were taking advantage of those who were not faring as well. We can apply the principle to our own day: The church that reaches out is always under obligation to care for those it has.

How do the redeemed treat the redeemed? Faithfulness includes a commitment to right behavior toward all our brothers and sisters in Christ. One famous non-Christian said he would be a Christian if it weren’t for Christians. We may wonder whether he had witnessed those who claim the name of Christ mistreating one another.

In Daniel 6:11-22 NLT says, “11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. 12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human – except to you, Your Majesty – will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” 14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.” 16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night. 19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in His sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

Daniel faced his own martyrdom by remaining faithful to his worship of God, no matter what the cost. God can deliver us from every trial – yet He doesn’t always do so. As he faced an unfair decree that required him to cease worshipping God, Daniel must have realized that he was among the few fortunate Jews who had survived the rigors of the Babylonian siege and the horrors of Persian exile and imprisonment.

God is so powerful that He could crush Daniel’s enemies like flies on a tile wall. But even if God did not save Daniel – as He had not done for the thousands before Daniel – one thing was certain: Daniel was determined to worship the true God, even in the midst of a pagan culture. Daniel might have to die, but he didn’t have to be unfaithful. God would be God, celebrated by Daniel’s life or by Daniel’s death.

There will be no compromise. It is as easy for the committed to worship in the company of beasts, as it is to worship in the temple/church and/or at home in Spirit and in Truth, Amen! .

Let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these FAITHFULNESS Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

1. God’s Blessings On Faithfulness – Podcast Faithfulness #1
2. A Persistent Commitment To The Right – Podcast Faithfulness #2
3. No Compromise – Podcast Faithfulness #3
4. The Road That Ends In Victory – Podcast Faithfulness #4
5. The High Art Of Persistence – Podcast Faithfulness #5

Observation: What do these passages say to you?

Interpretation: What do these passages mean to you?

Application: How do the meaning of these passages apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer, please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Suggested Prayer: Father God, we come into your presence in Jesus name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and for the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us to understand God’s Words, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and obey them, in Jesus name, Amen!

God bless you all and our families!

In Malachi 3:10-12 AMPC says, “10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.