(Click here to search for all the posts in this series…)
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (NKJV)
(Previous devotionals can be found at www.seriousfaith.com)
It is my opinion, that God’s faithfulness is the single most important fact of Christianity. Why? If God were not faithful, then we have nothing to place our hope in. If God is not faithful, then we cannot trust what the Bible says about any subject, any person or any promise. We can’t trust in Jesus; we can’t hope for salvation; we can’t have peace; we can’t expect the promises to come true. If God is not faithful, we would have to live in constant fear of losing our salvation and being attacked by Satan. If God is not faithful, we would have constantly worry about what will happen the moment we die. If God is not faithful, then there truly is absolutely nothing to live for, nothing to hope in.
There is no middle ground. God is 100% faithful, or not at all. God can’t be “mostly” faithful. He cannot even be 99.9% faithful. If there is any unfaithfulness whatsoever in God, then He is a fraud by His own definition. God’s faithfulness is the foundation upon which everything about Christianity is built.
So far we have learned:
- Truth 1 – God is faithful; the Bible declares it plainly; history proves it. We have found out that the meaning of “faithfulness” as applied to God can be summed up by saying: “God is a Person who we can absolutely depend on, find security in, and lean upon.” (Deut 7.9; 1Cor 1.9; 1Cor 10.13; 1Thess 5.24; 2Thess 3.3; 1John 1.9; Prov 14.5; Matt 24.45-46; 1Tim 1.15)
- Truth 2 – God’s faithfulness is not average; it is great and limitless; God’s faithfulness has no exceptions; whatever He promises or declares will happen. The universe would come and go a million times before one letter or breath from God was not fulfilled. You can count on God. He is faithful always, 100% of the time. (Deut 7.9; Lam 3.22-24)
- Truth 3 – God’s faithfulness reaches to the heavens and skies; God’s faithfulness reaches farther and higher than any circumstance or trial we will ever face. If God’s faithfulness reaches to the heavens, it is certainly capable of reaching every area of our life. (Deut 7.9; Psa 36.5; Psa 89.2)
- Truth 4 – Everything God does is done in faithfulness; God operates from faithfulness. There is no question about it, it is an assumed fact. Every word, every thought, every decision, every wish, every command, every declaration… all done in complete faithfulness. Whatever God purposes, WILL come to pass. (Deut 7.9; Psa 33.4)
- Truth 5 – God’s faithfulness is manifested when He stands by His people and saves them even when they are unfaithful to Him. God’s faithfulness is undeterred by man’s actions; when God promises to complete something, or make something happen, it is not dependent on anything but His will. We can have hope because our security is in God’s faithfulness, not our own abilities. (2Tim 2.13; Heb 10.23; Deut 7.9; 1Kings 8.56; Psa 89.3; Psa 119.89-90; 1Sam 12.20-22)
- Truth 6 – God’s faithfulness is manifested in His not allowing His children to be tempted beyond what they are able to endure; God has promised to keep us from temptation that we cannot endure, and to always provide a way of escape (1Cor 10.12-13). We will never face a choice to sin that is so strong we are truly unable to say no. God also protects us from Satan who prowls about seeking whom he may devour (2Thess 3.3; 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:3; Matt. 4:6; 2 Tim. 2:26; Luke 22:31; 1 Tim. 3:6; Rev. 12:12; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 2:9, 24). Every day that we live that we are not suffering like Job, is a day to thank God for His protection from Satan’s persecution.
- Truth 7 – The faithfulness of God is shown by the fact that He calls us – then protects, preserves, and sanctifies us; God is faithful to finish everything He starts. He will see us through all the way to the end. God calls us, and He does not fail in anything He does. We can be confident that whatever God has started in us (salvation, sanctification), He will make sure it is completed (1Cor 1.8-9; 1Thess 5.23-24; Phil 1.6).
- Truth 8: God’s faithfulness is manifested in His chastening of His children when they go astray; God shows His faithfulness as our Heavenly Father by chatising us and doing whatever it takes to turn us away from our own wickedness and pride, back to Him. Like any good parent, sometimes painful consequences are the only thing that gets our attention (John 10.28-29; Heb 12.6; Ps 119.75)
- Truth 9: God’s faithfulness is manifested in His forgiving His children when they confess their sins; God is ALWAYS faithful to forgive us when we turn in repentance to Him and ask for mercy. When God forgives, it’s not the conditional or fragile human type of forgiveness (Psa 103.12). When God forgives, He eternally forgets (1John 1.9; Ps 103.12)
- Truth 10: God’s faithfulness is manifested in His answering the prayers of His children; God takes pleasure in answering the faithful prayers of His obedient and holy children. If we as human parents know how to respond to our children in love, and give good gifts to them, how much more does our Loving God know how to do the same (Matt 7.11; Ps 143.1-2; Ps 10.17)
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Our “Faith” (Christianity) is only a Faith because God is faithful. Our personal faith is only possible because of God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness assures that we can have hope, peace and confidence in a world that grows farther from with each passing day.
(seriesid:37)