^“So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

In the recent series of devotions, we looked at the communicable attributes of God, and how the spirit empowers us to emulate them: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. As I studied these fruits of the spirit in preparation to write about them, the one that I could not seem to fully describe was faithfulness. We know that faithlessness is being without faith. So, by contrast, being faithful must mean being full of faith. Specifically, how do we as believers demonstrate our faithfulness.

James says that faith without works is dead, so clearly, faith is not just a feeling we have about God or a belief we have about Jesus. Faith is something we live out; but how? In studying behavior change, there are several theories—one is that if you change your behavior, you will change how you think. The other is that you must change your mind before you can make sustainable behavior changes. The latter is true, but I also believe that in changing our mind, we must practice this behavior to support the sustainable change.

All that to say: there are behaviors we must identify and seek to demonstrate to receive the blessing from Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).

So, what are these behaviors that constitute faithfulness? This is where the Scriptures can become daunting. There are so many commands in the Bible that it is easy to get all wrapped up in following the letter of the law without regard to the reason for why we are doing so. And then there is the guilt issue when we fall short because we undoubtedly will. And there is the blame issue for when we see others falling short. So, are the commands counterproductive?

Jesus stressed obedience to the law. In fact, he said in his Sermon on the Mount: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-20).

However, Jesus confounded the Pharisees, and in fact, many of us, with his teachings in his sermons and parables where he goes beyond the letter of the law to the heart of the matter. For example: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sisterwill be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:21-22).

This passage in The Sermon on the Mount gives us our best clue to faithfulness. Every thought, word, and action should be motivated and carried out with our love for Christ and with love for our fellow man. If we let our love for Christ guide us, we will be in His will.

The Bible is clear that God desires our obedience to His will–because of our love for Him. There are apparently at least 52 verses that stress that “to obey is better than sacrifice.” This means that He is not interested in thoughtless adherence to a set of rules, but instead loving and respectful obedience. Think about your relationship with your children—you do not want them just going through the motions. You want their loving and respectful obedience because they trust you and genuinely want to please you.

So, rather than being overwhelmed with memorizing and adhering to the multitude of commands, we can instead be guided by the following advice, as well as the Golden Rule at the beginning of this devotion:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

“…and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sin” (1 Peter 4:7-8).

In Christ,

Judy