Faithfulness

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I don’t think enough can be said of the faithfulness of God. I’m sure I have mentioned it in previous blogs, and I know I say it to just about everyone I meet — I must sound like a broken record! LOL But it’s true! How faithful is God that He made a way for us to connect with Him … WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS?!?! I mean, come on. That’s beyond my brain’s ability to comprehend. (Romans 5:8)

What makes God so faithful? While it is impossible to know the mind of God (Romans 11:34), we can see clear evidence of His faithfulness throughout scripture, and even in our own lives! I mean, if you received salvation, that should be evidence enough in itself! He loved you while you were still a sinner — and not to be rude, but do you remember what you were like back then? Would you have done what Jesus did for you when you were at that time of your life? But even beyond that, Romans 5:8 says we are all unworthy. Not a single one of us is worthy of what Christ did for us — not even on our best day!

I was reading in Joshua how the children of Israel conquered the land God promised them. You know, just because God promised it, didn’t mean it automatically fell into their laps. No, they had to stand on that promise. They had to exercise their faith. They had to believe and trust — and then go into physical battle! God gave them the victory. He even made the sun stand still to give them more daylight to defeat the enemy! Even with God on their side, they had to decide to pick up the sword and walk forward to take what God was giving them. It wasn’t an easy journey conquering that land. But I love what Joshua 21:44-45 says. Especially v. 45.

And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

Everything He had spoken came true. Isn’t that the faithfulness of God right there in a nutshell? Can’t we know God is faithful to us because His Word is true, always true, and nothing but true?

I don’t know what you’re going through today, or what is going to pop up this week, but I do know that it’s not bigger than God can handle. You know, I was reading in Luke 22 and we all know the verse where Jesus tells Peter he’s going to deny him three times before the rooster crows, but something else caught my attention. Just before that, Jesus tells Peter that the devil was after him that he wanted to ‘sift’ him. In verse 32, Jesus says, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

So first, let’s unpack the fact that Jesus told Peter, yeah, you’re going to fall off the wagon for a minute, but when you come back, you’ve got work to do in the Kingdom. I can’t remember the last time I knew I was taking a detour beforehand. Can you? Often, it’s not until I’m way on down that road that I look up and realize how far I am from where I should be. So this was something that caught my attention. Jesus is saying, I already know. You’re going to do it anyway, but we can get past that and when you’ve repented, as another translation says, you can get back to work.

Second, my Bible had a little note in the margin about the word “sift” in verse 31. so I followed it to Amos 9:9 which says:

For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.

Another translation says, “yet not one kernel will be lost.”

So when everything is shaken and you don’t know which way is up, rest in God’s faithfulness because you won’t be lost. I mean, you can still turn and walk away from your salvation when you are out there wandering from the path, it’s your decision, but if you repent and return to the Lord, He is faithful to turn even your meandering mistakes into a meaningful component of your testimony. (Romans 8:28, anyone?) But the fact that Jesus was telling Peter, yeah, you’re going to be shaken and “sifted” but I still have you. Come back to me, repent, and then you can get to work. I imaging Peter didn’t understand that at the time Jesus said it because he didn’t already know how the whole story plays out like Jesus did. I’m sure later Peter probably thought back to that conversation and fully understood after he had walked the path of denial and repentance. I’m sure our limited mind misses so much of what God is speaking to us on a daily basis simply because we can’t see everything God sees. Which is why it’s so important for us to trust God and not try to work it out on our own. There is just so much we can’t see. So much we don’t know.

This passage also tells me it’s never too late. Peter denied Jesus three times but there was still a path of return and a purpose in his life. Kingdom work he could do once he got his heart back where it was supposed to be. His purpose never changed even when he denied Jesus those three times. He didn’t lose what was his to do, but he could have if he chose not to return to Jesus.

I think I could probably keep talking about this for a long time, so I probably need to reign it in or this will be a book and not a blog post! So let me end with one of my favorite verses, Lamentations 3:22-23. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. My mind is blown by how faithful God is because we are just a speck in a big bad dangerous [violent] universe and we could literally be wiped out by an asteroid at any moment. Our life is the width of a man’s hand and we are just shifting shadows. We are nothing. But by the grace of God, and his endless mercy, we are not consumed (or instantly wiped out). His mercy is new every morning and His faithfulness to us never ends. If that’s not a reason to praise God, I don’t know what is. God is faithful no matter what. He cannot be anything but faithful. The end. Mic drop.

For today, in your journal, read through the scriptures (I pulled them together below for convenience) we talked about today and write about what you feel God is speaking to you through His word. He is so faithful to us. Are we being faithful back? Are we doing what we’re called to do? Are there areas we could tighten it up and be more faithful? What is one thing you could do today that would move you toward being more faithful in one area?

Scriptures:

  • Romans 5:8
  • Romans 11:34
  • Joshua 21:44-45
  • Luke 22:31-34
  • Amos 9:9
  • Romans 8:28
  • Lamentations 3:22-23
  • Psalm 39:5
  • Psalm 144:4

And I will leave you with this… Enjoy!

So I have no idea what is going on “visual-story-wise” in this music video LOL, but this is a great song to get stuck in your head because God is faithful no matter what. He cannot be anything other than faithful!

2 thoughts on “Faithfulness

  1. GOD HAS NEVER LEFT ME. 3 YEARS AGO MY HEART WAS BROKEN AND ALL MY DREAMS SHATTERED. I NEVER STOPPED TRUSTING GOD AND STOOD ON JOSHUA 9 TO NOT BE ADRAID. MY JOY OF MY LORD I KEPT INTACT PATIENTLY WAITING UPON HIM TO COMFORT ME AND LEAD ME TO HIGHER GROUND AS TWO FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT GALATIANS 5 ARE PROMISES. TODAY I FIND MY SELF STRONGER MORE CONFIDENT AND BOLDLY SPEAKING GODS WORD. EASY NO IT WAS NOT! I KNOW THE LORD HAS A PURPOSE FOR ME AND I GO ABOUT PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING WITH MY ARMOR ON EPESIANS 6. I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN I WAS OF ROYALTY AFTER I WAS SAVED BY HIS GRACE JOHN 3 BECAUSE MY FATHER WAS THE KING AND I WAS TO ACT ACCORDINGLY. I KNOW ALL THINGS WORK TO HIS GOOD ROMANS 8 AND I NOW GO ABOUT DOING MY FATHERS BUSINESS WITH GLADNESS! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! I TRUST GOD HE KNOWS WHATS BEST FOR ME AFTER ALL HE PLANNED ME BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. ❤??

  2. This is great! I love this part Kris…..-“My mind is blown by how faithful God is because we are just a speck in a big bad dangerous [violent] universe and we could literally be wiped out by an asteroid at any moment. Our life is the width of a man’s hand and we are just shifting shadows. We are nothing. But by the grace of God, and his endless mercy, we are not consumed (or instantly wiped out). His mercy is new every morning and His faithfulness to us never ends.”
    How true! And that he chooses us, a speck, knows us, one of millions, and loves us, so many of so many. Lol.

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