Fruit of the Spirit Pt. 2 - Week 5, Day 3

Day 3: Be Faithful (Keep Your Word)

God wants us to be faithful just as He has been faithful. He wants what you say and what you do to match up. How do we do this?

For starters, say what you mean and mean what you say.

God takes the vows we make to Him and others very seriously.

It was the day AFTER Christmas at a church in San Francisco. The pastor of the church was looking at the manger scene when he noticed that the baby Jesus figure was missing from the cradle. He went outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon walking down the street. In the wagon was the figure of the baby Jesus so he walked up to the boy and said, "Son, where did you get that little baby Jesus that's in your wagon?" The little boy said, "I got him from the church." The Pastor asked, "And why did you take him?" The little boy said, "Well, about a week before Christmas, I prayed to the little Lord Jesus. I told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas, I would give him a ride around the block in it."

That’s a kid who keeps his word.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 5 God warns us. He says,

“Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few. Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool. When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. Ecclesiastes 5:2-6 NLT

God says it would be better for you to not make a vow than to make a vow and then break it. Don’t be the kind of person who says one thing but lives a different way. I was fortunate. My dad was a very faithful individual. He told me all the time that a person is only as good as their word.

My dad was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he was a man who was faithful to his word. If he said he would show up he was there. If he said he was going to do something he did it. He was honest in his business dealings, and he was always honest with me. I watched and listened to my dad when he didn’t know it, and I’m a better man today because of the faithfulness of my father.

Here is the problem with faithfulness. It is easier preached than practiced. One writer put it this way.

“When I told my kids to clean their rooms, they took a closer look at the condition of my tools and possessions in the garage.”

“When I told them that honesty was our family's greatest virtue, they commented on the radar detector I had installed in my car.”

“When I told them about the vices of drinking and wild parties, they watched from the upstairs balcony the way our guests behave at our adult functions.”

We have to be the kind of people who are faithful to what we say we will do and faithful to what we say we believe. If we don’t do that then we are hypocrites. A hypocrite is a person who says one thing and then does another.

I am going to ask you again. Do you keep your word? Do you keep your promises? Faithfulness is doing what you said you would do and being the person you said you would be.

Time Out:

Let's look again at the passage we just looked at and answer the following question. You remember it’s Ecclesiastes 5:2-6. Here is your first question.

Why does God say for us to let our words be few?

When we make a vow to God what are we supposed to do next?

How does our mouth lead us into sin?

Do you know anyone who says one thing and does another? What do you think about that person?

What is one area of your life that you have a hard time keeping your word? What are you going to do about it?