The Fruit of the Spirit chapel has been a staple at Judah. Traditionally, students would cast votes for who among them, they believed, best exemplified the fruit of the Spirit. The winners would receive a certificate for their “fruit”; parents would take pictures; students and staff would congratulate. Overall, the chapel was just a bit of wholesome fun near the end of the year.
However, under the surface of the tradition, a different perspective was brewing. For many years, students shared with one another their thoughts about the Fruit of the Spirit chapel as a whole: the voting, the contest, and the “fruit.” These thoughts, traveling in hushed tones over generations, finally boiled over this year — in the most beautiful way. A few weeks before the chapel, Judah’s secondary Bible teacher received a letter from the entire senior class. The letter encapsulated the fully realized feelings of the students:
Fruit of the Spirit Awards 2024: Senior Votes
Love: Jesus
Joy: Jesus
Peace: Jesus
Patience: Jesus
Kindness: Jesus
Goodness: Jesus
Faithfulness: Jesus
Gentleness: Jesus
Self-Control: Jesus
Overall Winner: Jesus
The 2024 senior class believes that these awards have become a joke or a “popularity contest” over the years and that the true meaning of the awards has been lost. Jesus Christ perfectly personifies this fruit, and the senior class wanted to focus on that.
The chapel committee presented this letter to Mr. Moxley, the secondary principal, who agreed with the letter’s sentiment. The Lord used the seniors’ letter and the listening ear of the administration to make a swift change to the format and content of this year’s Fruit of the Spirit chapel.
The new format proceeded as follows. Several members of the teaching staff were nominated, not to win an award but to educate the students with a biblical understanding of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Nine teachers spoke on the fruit of the Holy Spirit. However, Mrs. Kim Miller speaking on faithfulness was the real standout. Here is what she had to say:
Faithfulness. God is perfectly faithful. He is reliable, steadfast, and unwavering. His promises are sure. His words never fail. Psalm 36:5 says, “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” What a beautiful promise God gives to His people. His faithfulness does not depend on our faithfulness. His mercies are new every day because we need His mercies every day.
When I think of faithfulness as an attribute of God, I immediately think of all the promises we see in His Word. His promises are too many to list, but here are a few that have had great influence in my life:
God promises comfort in our trials. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
To be near the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18
To finish the work he started with us. Philippians 1:6
To forgive us when we confess our sins. 1 John 1:9
He promises we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. Jeremiah 29:13
He promises to save us if we confess and believe. Romans 10:9
He promises that all things will work for good for those who love Him. Romans 8:28
I want to go back to something that Mrs. O said about this verse. She said, “God is working things out for our spiritual good—to make us more like Jesus—to prepare us for the work He has for us—to turn our hearts and minds toward Him—for our eternal good—to prepare us for heaven.”
God does not think it is good that I am without a husband. God does not think it is good that my girls are without a father. But He promises to use it for our good if we love and trust Him. And because God is faithful, this is a promise in which we can place our hope, even when we can’t understand or see it.
And the best promise of all—the promise of heaven! the promise that our current trials are nothing compared to the glory and goodness of heaven!
So, what does it mean for us to have faithfulness? The dictionary defines faithfulness as loyalty and trustworthiness in relationships, being true to your word or commitment, being dedicated and steadfast in performing your duty or working for a cause.
It is all these things, and many people could be considered faithful, but biblical faithfulness requires belief in what the Bible says about God: His existence, His works, and His character. Faithfulness is believing that God is who He says He is—and continuing in that belief despite the trials of life and the brokenness we see in this world. Biblical faithfulness is a result of the Spirit working in us.
There are many examples of faithful people in the Bible: Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Rahab, Ruth, David, the apostles, and many more. If you don’t know their stories, look them up!
Our faithfulness is not based on our feelings or circumstances. It is rooted in the Word of God. We may not feel good. We may not hear His voice. We may not think He sees us or cares. These times, His words are enough.
When we have faith, we have a peace that the world does not understand. This does not mean we don’t experience the trials of life. Being faithful doesn’t mean I don’t grieve the loss of my husband. The pain is deep. The grief is just as real as the next person’s grief. However, it means that I grieve with hope because of who God is.
We can be honest with God about our questions and our hurts, our confusion, even our anger or sadness about our circumstances and our desire to feel His nearness. But we come back to His Word. We remind ourselves over and over again of His character, of what He has done and of the promises He has made.
We walk by faith and not by sight. We can’t do this on our own, and so we pray, “God, would you give us faith to believe and the strength to be faithful to the end.”
Mrs. Miller reminded us that God’s promises transcend our circumstances. The class of 2024 reminded us that Jesus, and not even the best of ourselves, is our model for what it looks like to live life “full of the Spirit.” Given the emotionally tumultuous yet spiritually victorious year our school has experienced, it seems fitting that the Lord Jesus would remind us of Himself and His promises yet again.
—Tyler Neethling, class of ’09
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