The Fruitfulness of Faithfulness

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much . . .”—Luke 16:10 (NKJV)

As we learn more and more about the fruit God’s Spirit wants to generate in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23), we come to the fruit of “faithfulness.” To best understand this fruit, we’re well served to understand the actual word that God’s Spirit chose to describe the very quality He’s committed to creating in us. In the case of “faithfulness,” the original Greek word used is pistis—and it’s no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most important words in the entire Bible.

In most biblical instances, pisits is translated as “faith” instead of “faithfulness.” Now consider the place that faith has in spiritual things. In its most basic sense, faith is assurance in something. It’s the trust in something that has been stated as being true. One very practical definition is “to rest one’s full weight upon.” Think that through, whether it’s a chair or a set of stairs, you completely trust that object is able to hold your body’s weight. So, you exercise faith as you sit or step on it.

But let’s raise the stakes a few levels. The CN Tower in Toronto is one of the tallest manmade structures in the world at 1,815 feet. However, there’s an observation deck at the 1,122 foot level where the designers have replaced the metal flooring with clear glass panels! It takes pistis to walk on those panels as you fully trust them to keep you from becoming part of the pavement below.

That’s the quality of faith, the solid assurance and sense of reliability, that the Holy Spirit seeks to produce in us. Our lives are to be a source of stability and trust for others. When people hear our name and consider our character, there ought to be a confidence that goes along with that. There should be a faithfulness that can be counted on to keep our word and make good on our promises. A life that embodies this trait has the ability to impact a lot of lives, because it will attract a lot of trust. Faithful lives will also be fruitful lives.

Jesus exposes the fruitfulness of faithfulness in the verse above as He states that those who are faithful in what’s least will also be faithful in much. In other words, when you prove yourself to be reliable and dependable with what little you’ve been given, you’re eventually going to be entrusted with more. Any employer in earthly things understands this. They’re going to give more opportunities to those who demonstrate faithfulness. How much more, then, does God value faithfulness when it comes to spiritual things? Faithfulness must come first if we’re going to be effective stewards in spiritual things.

All of this points us to a better understanding of why this is one of the fruits God’s Spirit wants to produce in us. Faithfulness is pivotal, not just in establishing a worthy reputation and reflection of who He is, but it’s also the key qualifier in our continued growth in serving Him and His people. Without faithfulness, our lives won’t flourish. With it, we’ll experience a fruitfulness that can feed many lives beyond just our own.

Pause: Why is faithfulness such an important quality in the Christian’s life?

Practice: Consider what being faithful/unfaithful looks like in your life given what God has already entrusted to you.

Pray: Father, I want to be fruitful in serving You and Your people with my life. I also know that faithfulness is an important part of this being possible. Please continue Your good work of making me more and more faithful, just as You are. Amen.