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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)
Today we will take a look at the measure, or extent of God’s faithfulness.
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.
One of the greatest blessings and comforts we have as Christians is knowing that God doesn’t give up on us when we are unfaithful; God doesn’t abandon us when we stray; God doesn’t quit on us when we seem to quit on Him. From Moses to David to Jonah to Peter to Paul… God has a long history of being undeterred by the weakness of His children. God is faithful to sustain His own no matter how difficult we try to make it for Him. This is not a license to abuse God’s faithfulness; no, it is a great comfort and hope for those of us who struggle and often fail in our Christian walk. We can know that God has promised to finish what He started, and that we always have the opportunity to pick up, dust off, and start again.
2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (NKJV)
When God declares by His will that something will “be”, then it will “be”. God’s faithfulness is established because of WHO God is and it is impossible for God to not do, what God has said He will do.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (NKJV)
This verse presupposes that wavering will occur; Paul declares that wavering is unnecessary because God is faithful. We need only to truly believe, and we will never waiver. We have no need of wavering or doubting, because the One who has promised to protect us, is 100% faithful to keep all His promises.
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)
First, the verse is not talking about a literal “thousand generations”… it is making the point that God’s faithfulness has no end and that no amount of time will diminish it. Second, it is obvious that within a “thousand generations” there will be times of unfaithfulness by God’s people but it will not diminish God’s promise one bit. If God is faithful for a thousand generations, will He not be faithful within our short lifetime?
1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. (NKJV)
God kept every word of His promises to Israel even though their unfaithfulness was legendary.
Psalm 89:33-34 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. (NKJV)
Written about David, whose unfaithfulness was well documented, God nonetheless declares that He will keep all His promises to him.
Psalm 119:89-90 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. (NKJV)
God remains faithful even when mankind is not. In every generation there are those who are unfaithful.
1 Samuel 12:20-22 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. (NKJV)
A very comforting and important truth: even when we have really, really messed up, we should not be discouraged or run from God. He is faithful and will never give up on His own children. It “pleased” the Lord to make each of us one of His children, and no matter how bad we mess up, or go astray, He will be faithful to restore us if we will turn to Him and serve Him with all our heart.
Our security is in God’s faithfulness, not in our own.
Lord, Help us to understand and take comfort in knowing that You never give up on Your children. Help us to never take advantage of that fact and use it as a license for unfaithfulness but to embrace the hope and security that Your faithfulness offers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Contemplation: Have you ever thought about God’s faithfulness to His unfaithful children? Have you considered the hope, peace and security that comes with knowing God never fails to complete His work in His own children? Have you ever used that fact to be lazy or unconcerned about your unfaithfulness? What do you think God’s opinion is of those who abuse His faithfulness like that?
Application: God’s faithfulness is what makes us secure in our salvation, and in our Christian walk. It’s not a theological concept, or doctrinal argument… our salvation is secure because God never fails to finish what He starts. When God calls (draws) a person to His Son and a true conversion happens, that person is now one of God’s children, and not one of God’s children can be taken from His hand (John 10.27).
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
(seriesid:37)