Abed_nego2
Servant of the Lord
Lamentations 3:22-23, “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness”
2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil”
__________
The Lord Jesus Christ has many wonderful attributes, not the least of which is His faithfulness. That is, He is believable and trustworthy, sure to do all He promised. At the end of every year or month, it is good to set aside some time to review and record God’s faithfulness to us, as His children. As you think back over this past year or even this past month or so, why not jot down on a piece of paper entitled “God’s Faithfulness” everything that comes to your mind as evidence of God’s love and care for you. Your list would most certainly include examples of God’s mercy, grace and daily provision.
Moreover, your list should also record God’s presence during times of difficulty and disappointment. It should also include your failures and sins, which He has been “faithful and just” to forgive (1 John 1:9). You could also list He is our Creator, and has a distinct purpose and will for our lives. All who are His children can safely “commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19).
He will keep us to the end. Paul said, “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Then follow his confident assurance, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). My friend, each new day the Lord gives to us, whether in the Bible lands or at home, is an expression of His faithfulness and provides opportunities to live for and serve Him.
__________
Further reflection:
The woman who met Jesus Christ at the well of Sychar wasn't very sure she could trust him. She was a woman; he was a man, and men didn't have many dealings with women. She was a Samaritan; he was a Jew, and Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. When Jesus spoke to her, she was surprised - and no doubt was a little distrustful, holding back personal information as they talked. After all, she had already had five husbands, the whole lot of whom were likely unfaithful.
As Jesus began to talk with her about the internal waters of her life, why should she trust him? But instead of running, she began asking questions. As she asked questions, she began understanding things about him, perceiving that he was a prophet. In the end, she was convinced that Jesus was trustworthy, and even speculated that he might be the promised Messiah. She took a good, hard look at Jesus and found him faithful (John 4:1-29).
Like the woman at the well, perhaps we too are a bit wary. We haven't had five unfaithful spouses, but our trust has been betrayed often enough that we wonder who we can trust. The writer of Hebrews tells us we can trust Jesus. How do we know we can trust him? There's really only one way and that is to investigate. Like the woman at the well, check it out. Take a good, hard look at the faithfulness of Jesus Christ found in the pages of God’s Eternal Word.
__________
Closing thoughts:
It’s a good thing God isn’t like us. So often we find ourselves being unfaithful to Him. We ignore or challenge His commands. We give in to our sinful nature and do the very things we know we ought not to do. Or worse yet, we choose not to do that which we are expected to do and we often doubt Him and His Word, but even this doesn’t change His love toward us.
If God wasn’t faithful to us and if He didn’t keep the promises He has made to us, we’d be finished. Indeed, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called” (1 Corinthians 1:9), for His very name is “called Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11). Thus, when we follow the Lord with all our heart as Joshua, Moses and Abraham did, He will be faithful to keep His promises.
My beloved, He will bring you into a place of peace. His love and grace will be like an overflowing river in your life. Everywhere you go, the name of the Lord will be written on you. God is faithful. As He protected the Israelites, so He protects His other children. We are God’s children, under His infinite, omnipotent, and eternal power! What an encouragement to live for Him every day! Our strength for the present and our hope for the future are not based on the stability of our own perseverance but on the fidelity of God. No matter what our need, we can count on the Lord’s faithfulness.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be - Chisholm
__________
The best reason for HOPE is God’s Faithfulness
2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil”
__________
The Lord Jesus Christ has many wonderful attributes, not the least of which is His faithfulness. That is, He is believable and trustworthy, sure to do all He promised. At the end of every year or month, it is good to set aside some time to review and record God’s faithfulness to us, as His children. As you think back over this past year or even this past month or so, why not jot down on a piece of paper entitled “God’s Faithfulness” everything that comes to your mind as evidence of God’s love and care for you. Your list would most certainly include examples of God’s mercy, grace and daily provision.
Moreover, your list should also record God’s presence during times of difficulty and disappointment. It should also include your failures and sins, which He has been “faithful and just” to forgive (1 John 1:9). You could also list He is our Creator, and has a distinct purpose and will for our lives. All who are His children can safely “commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19).
He will keep us to the end. Paul said, “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Then follow his confident assurance, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). My friend, each new day the Lord gives to us, whether in the Bible lands or at home, is an expression of His faithfulness and provides opportunities to live for and serve Him.
__________
Further reflection:
The woman who met Jesus Christ at the well of Sychar wasn't very sure she could trust him. She was a woman; he was a man, and men didn't have many dealings with women. She was a Samaritan; he was a Jew, and Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. When Jesus spoke to her, she was surprised - and no doubt was a little distrustful, holding back personal information as they talked. After all, she had already had five husbands, the whole lot of whom were likely unfaithful.
As Jesus began to talk with her about the internal waters of her life, why should she trust him? But instead of running, she began asking questions. As she asked questions, she began understanding things about him, perceiving that he was a prophet. In the end, she was convinced that Jesus was trustworthy, and even speculated that he might be the promised Messiah. She took a good, hard look at Jesus and found him faithful (John 4:1-29).
Like the woman at the well, perhaps we too are a bit wary. We haven't had five unfaithful spouses, but our trust has been betrayed often enough that we wonder who we can trust. The writer of Hebrews tells us we can trust Jesus. How do we know we can trust him? There's really only one way and that is to investigate. Like the woman at the well, check it out. Take a good, hard look at the faithfulness of Jesus Christ found in the pages of God’s Eternal Word.
__________
Closing thoughts:
It’s a good thing God isn’t like us. So often we find ourselves being unfaithful to Him. We ignore or challenge His commands. We give in to our sinful nature and do the very things we know we ought not to do. Or worse yet, we choose not to do that which we are expected to do and we often doubt Him and His Word, but even this doesn’t change His love toward us.
If God wasn’t faithful to us and if He didn’t keep the promises He has made to us, we’d be finished. Indeed, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called” (1 Corinthians 1:9), for His very name is “called Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11). Thus, when we follow the Lord with all our heart as Joshua, Moses and Abraham did, He will be faithful to keep His promises.
My beloved, He will bring you into a place of peace. His love and grace will be like an overflowing river in your life. Everywhere you go, the name of the Lord will be written on you. God is faithful. As He protected the Israelites, so He protects His other children. We are God’s children, under His infinite, omnipotent, and eternal power! What an encouragement to live for Him every day! Our strength for the present and our hope for the future are not based on the stability of our own perseverance but on the fidelity of God. No matter what our need, we can count on the Lord’s faithfulness.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be - Chisholm
__________
The best reason for HOPE is God’s Faithfulness
