Meditation for the day.

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus;
And what you have heard of me through many witnesses
Entrust to faithful people
Who will be able to teach others as well.
2 Timothy 2:1-2

Today, let’s consider faithfulness as the fruit of the Spirit

Faithfulness begins with God. Why would we want to commit ourselves to an untrustworthy deity? It is the reliability of God that is the basis for our faithfulness to God. The Scriptures place great stress on the dependability of God, precisely so that we can join confidently in the covenant God opens to us. Once we have done this, we are called to be a faithful people.

But yet there is one more step in this process. The faithful people of God are to “teach others as well.” That is, we are to be witnesses to the reliability of God so that those who have not committed themselves to covenant faithfulness may come to believe. If we are not faithful, we place in their way a stumbling block over which they may fall.

On this day, then, we pray for grace to trust in God’s goodness, to keep our vows with fidelity, and to be those who instruct others in the way.

Verses from Psalm 31 (The Message)

What a stack of blessing you have piled up
for those who worship you.
Ready and waiting for all who run to you
to escape an unkind world.
You hide them safely away from the opposition.
As you slam the door on those oily, mocking faces,
You silence the poisonous gossip.
Blessed God! His love is the wonder of the world!
Trapped by a siege, I panicked,
“Out of sight, out of mind,” I said.
But you heard me say it, you heart and listened.
Love God, all you saints,
God takes care of all who stay close to him.
But he pays back in full those arrogant
enough to go it alone.
Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up.
Expect God to get here soon.

Prayer:

God of all ages,
In every time and place you have been steadfast.
Your faithfulness endures without fail from generation to generation.
So bind to yourself the hearts of your covenant people
that all who have promised fidelity to the gospel may fulfill their vows.
Preserve your church
not only from renunciation or neglect of faith,
but also from a tepid faith that calls forth from others
contempt rather than conversation.
Make your church to be a city set upon a hill,
that our witness may be seen.
And that others may be drawn to you.
for the sake of Jesus Christ, who is faithful in all things. Amen.

(Some excerpts from: This Day, a Wesleyan Way of Prayer; Lawrence Hull Stookey)