July 2021
David Hixon • July 18, 2021
Faithfulness
Faithfulness
“The glory of God's faithfulness is that no sin of ours has ever made Him unfaithful.” - Charles Spurgeon
“Man in Black: Faithfulness he talked of, madam, your enduring faithfulness! Now, tell me truly. When you found out he was gone, did you get engaged to your prince that same hour, or did you wait a whole week out of respect for the dead?” Ha. I couldn’t resist throwing in a line from my favorite movie, “The Princess Bride.” I have many lines I could use here but today I want to talk about faithfulness. According to Dictionary.com “faithfulness” means “the fact or quality of being true to one’s word or commitments, as to what one has pledged to do, professes to believe, etc.:
In the Bible, the psalmist David reports God's faithfulness in keeping promises.”
Just so we are clear here … God is always faithful. Faithfulness is one of His key attributes. Let’s think about that for a moment. Like many things in the Bible we understand and even agree with the idea that God is always faithful but when it comes to the life we live each day we sometimes live as if we don’t really believe it to be true. “Scripture speaks often of God’s faithfulness. Over and over we learn that when God says He will do something, He does it (even when it seems impossible). When He says something will happen, it happens. This is true for the past, the present and the future. If this were not the case—if God were unfaithful even once—He would not be God, and we could not rely on any of His promises. But as it is, “Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave” (1 Kings 8:56). God is eternally reliable, steadfast, and unwavering because faithfulness is one of His inherent attributes. God does not have to work at being faithful; He is faithful. Faithfulness is an essential part of who He is (Psalm 89:8; Hebrews 13:8). In His faithfulness, God protects us from evil (2 Thessalonians 3:3), sets limits on our temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13), forgives us of sin (1 John 1:9), and sanctifies us (1 Corinthians 1:9; Philippians 1:6).”
So what about our faithfulness to Him. Undoubtedly we are called to be faithful. One of the fruits of the Spirit is faithfulness: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) So we know it is not just something we are called to do but it is also evidence of the Spirit living in us. “When a person walks consistently with God, in humble service to Him, he or she can be called “faithful.” When Nehemiah had to leave Jerusalem to return to Persia, he put Hanani and Hananiah in charge. The reason for his choice of these men was that they were “more faithful and God-fearing . . . than many” (Nehemiah 7:2, ESV). Nehemiah needed men of character whom he could trust. Men who would not take bribes, who were committed to the welfare of the people, and who would uphold the integrity of the office. Notice, also, that faithfulness is associated with fearing God. The better we truly know God, the more we will want to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1). Other examples of faithfulness include Silas (1 Peter 5:8), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), Onesimus (Colossians 4:9), and Moses (Hebrews 3:2).” God desires and most uses faithful people. We need people around us who are faithful and trustworthy. Where we are in Jamaica one of the key things we are always looking for is relationships with people we can trust, people who exhibit faithfulness in their walk with God and in their relationships with men. It is vital to carrying out the work that God has given us.
“The Bible also warns us of the consequences of unfaithfulness. These warnings are necessary because, as the old hymn says, we are “prone to wander . . . prone to leave the God I love.” Our hearts are too often found fickle, despite our best intentions (Proverbs 20:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 26:75).” We must constantly guard against being unfaithful. We do this by making sure our relationship with Him is an ever-growing experience. It must remain fresh and vibrant and alive. It requires time and effort and a desire that comes from a deep love.
“Faithfulness affects every relationship we have. The Bible says it is a gift from God. When we receive Christ as Lord, the Holy Spirit indwells us and brings the blessings of love, joy, peace and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). The fullness of these blessings depends on walking with God and yielding to His Spirit. We should be faithful to read and abide by God’s Word and to seek the Lord in prayer (Psalm 1:1-2; Ephesians 6:18).”
Faithfulness … remaining true and committed to what we say we believe. I praise God for His faithfulness to me. There have been many times where I could see his faithfulness towards me in action. I pray my faithfulness to Him will be evident to those who look to me and my example. But it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that I am able to walk in faithfulness. The same is true for each of us.
Here is a good challenge for each of us … “Think about the ways you show your faithfulness to God. Are there things that are getting in the way of your faithfulness? What areas of your life have you not given over to Him? Through spending time in prayer, ask God to make these things clear to you, so that He can grow you in your faithfulness.”