Faithfulness

Simply put, faithfulness is being one who is trusted in both word and deed. It is a quality appreciated in players, coaches, colleagues and friends. It is a quality that is appreciated when demonstrated because we live in a culture that increasingly glorifies faithless actions.

You should be so well known for your reputation of integrity that to others, your word is your bond. In the past, there was little need for legal contracts which with their increasing prevalence has only brought on more distrust and more deceitful behavior.

It may seem old school, but business deals used to be done on a handshake. Today, our word has been rendered meaningless and we increasingly do not value integrity.

Faithfulness includes telling the truth in all your dealings. Lying is simply a violation of trust. And trust is like a fine crystal, once it is broken it is impossible to put back together.


From cg.org: Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness
http://cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/PERSONAL/k/244/Fruit-of-Spirit-Faithfulness.htm

The dictionary then compares "faithful" with its synonyms:

Faithful implies steadfast adherence to a person or thing to which one is bound as by an oath or obligation; loyal implies undeviating allegiance to a person, cause, institution, etc. which one feels morally bound to support or defend; constant suggests freedom from fickleness in affections or loyalties; staunch implies such a strong allegiance to one's principles or purposes as not to be turned aside by any cause; resolute stresses unwavering determination, often in adhering to one's personal ends or aims.

Other synonyms include dedicated, steadfast, devoted, dependable, accurate, true, conscientious, dutiful, careful, scrupulous and thorough.

This world always appeals to moral and ethical standards lower than those of the great God and His way of life. In Technicolor with emotion-stirring music, Hollywood "sells" adultery and fornication as acceptable as long as the couple involved are attractive and somehow oppressed—thus "deserving" of a "better" relationship.

War, murder, lying, stealing, coveting, Sabbath-breaking and idolatry are acts that almost everyone in the world would claim as being wrong, yet most unwittingly commit them to some degree and promote them in our culture. They justify their sin because everybody else is doing it, and they see no good reason why they should not just go along. If they try to swim against the tide, they think they will be taken advantage of.

Not too long ago, a person's word was his bond, and mere handshakes sealed major business agreements. Tales of Abraham Lincoln's honesty over pennies are an almost legendary part of our nation's history. Historians say that faithfulness was such a hallmark of the Roman Republic that not one divorce occurred in its first seven hundred years! But in the last fifty years this nation has seen a calamitous, family-destroying rise in the divorce rate that threatens the very stability of society.

Faithlessness is playing a major role in this destruction. People are without natural affection and traitors to their marital contract. Child abuse is becoming ever more prevalent. Athletes seem to break contracts almost at will. Manufacturers lie about the quality of their products, and workers fudge in the quality of their work.

Faithlessness is rising to its peak because self-centeredness, the father of irresponsibility, is being promoted to its utmost. It is the spirit of this age, but we have cause to resist it by what God has offered us in His revelation. God-centeredness in our lives is the answer to faithlessness and irresponsibility. But God-centeredness is not cheap, and few are willing to pay the price: their lives!

My eyes favor the faithful of the land so that they may sit down with me. The one who follows the way of integrity may serve me. - Psalm 101:6

FAITHFULNESS - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9