Secrets of the Abundant Life – Faithfulness

Philippians 3: 10 – 14 (NIV): I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Many Christians start out strong in their faith, but many don't stick with. The Christian walk is not a sprint, but a marathon. Paul says he was straining forward, pressing on to the goal of perfection. He knew he would never become perfect in this life, but his goal was to keep trying, to keep reaching for it. He was determined to be faithful to God no matter how difficult it became.
If you are faithful, you are a person of integrity. The word integrity has the root of our mathematical term integer – which is a whole number. If you have integrity, you are wholly devoted. You stick to your vows; you stick to your word. You realize that your feelings will waver from time to time, but your devotion is rock solid. You gave your life to God and promised to give him first place in your life the rest of your life. That's faithfulness.
But faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit for a reason. It is not a common virtue. Without God's help, almost a hundred percent of us would not have it. People struggle to remain faithful to their vows. But without it, we are preventing ourselves from living the abundant life.
I think Americans, living in the land of opportunity, should be the most faithful Christians in the world, but the truth is, we're soft. We abandon our faith when things don't go like we thought they should. We lose interest in our faith when it becomes inconvenient or a sacrifice. But if we are going to live the abundant life, we are going to have to be faithful to our faith and to our God. Stick to it, run the race, and keep an eye on the prize that awaits you. Then you will begin to live the life God has promised.