God is faithful

I believe very strongly that our perception of God will radically affect the way we think and act! If we have a poor and distorted view of God it will affect us negatively.  If we have a good and proper view of God it will affect us positively.

We need to have a proper view of God!

Even though we cannot see or touch God so we can learn about Him though His attributes. God’s attributes make up His character.

God is faithful

This attribute of God has been critical in my relationship with God and in my understanding of who God is. I believe that faithfulness is an attribute that the whole world would be better if we had a little more of it.

The world really needs something that they can count on because we live in a world where every day brings new revelations of chaos and moral confusion.

We live in a world of broken promises. Leaders pledge peace and secretly make plans for a war. Marriages end over trivial disputes. And presidents wag their finger and say “I didn’t,” knowing full well that they did.

You can look from the very heights of leadership to the very bottom of society and see that faithfulness is something that we need to work on.

The world needs to see more faithful and trustworthy people.

Who or what can we trust?

How many people do you know who do exactly what they say?

Before you answer, let me rephrase the question: How many people do you know who do exactly what they say every single time?

Let me rephrase it again: How many people do you know who do exactly what they say every single time and do it with such thoroughness and perfection that you never have to worry about anything they say or do?

Again, before you answer let me ask it this way: How many people do you know who no matter what the circumstances and no matter how they feel will always do exactly what they say every single time and do it with such thoroughness and perfection that you never have to worry about anything they say or do because you know if they say it, they will definitely do it without fail, without change, and without excuse?

The answer to any question depends on how you ask it.

Most of us probably think we know some people who do exactly what they say. That is, we all know some reliable people who seem very dependable to us.

But in the end, the question is not about reliable or very dependable people. It’s really not about people at all because no person could meet all the qualifications of the last question, which is really about God. He alone is 100% faithful 100% of the time.

What it comes down to is this: In this world of ceaseless change, confusion, uncertainty and insecurity, we can put our trust in God because He is the only one who is always faithful!

What does faithful mean?

When you think about being faithful what comes to your mind? Words like: steadfast, stable, dedicated, constant, dependable, reliable and worthy of trust.

A faithful person is one who will finish the race. Not just 95 metres of a 100 metre race but all 100 meters. Not finishing the last five meters makes the first 95 meters pointless!

A faithful person is one who you can count on to keep their word. They will keep the promises that they make even if it costs them something to do it. I am sure that some of you who have been married for many years have had to make some personal sacrifices in order to remain a faithful spouse.

So, to be faithful means to be steadfast, stable, dedicated, constant, dependable, reliable and worthy of trust.

The biblical definition of faithful.

In the Old Testament, the word faithful is derived from the Hebrew root having the basic meaning “to trust (a person),” or “to believe (a statement).” This is the same root that gives us the word “amen.” The derived meaning is that the one so described is trustworthy, dependable, trusting, or loyal.

In the New Testament the adjective “faithful” has the same fundamental meaning as the Old Testament word. The meaning is that the one so described is trustworthy and loyal. The root idea is that one has loyalty toward another person or toward God.

The faithful person is steadfast, unchanging, and thoroughly grounded in relation to the other. This sort of faithfulness is used in both the Old Testament and the New Testament to describe God’s relation to the world and to describe the quality of relationship that Christians are called upon to have with God and with one another.

Faithfulness is central to God’s character.

We find that faithfulness or trustworthiness is something that has to be a central part of who God is. What if we could not trust God to do what He says He will do?

To say that God is faithful goes to the core of who God really is. He keeps His word because if He didn’t, He wouldn’t be God!

If God were not faithful, we could not be saved, we would not dare to pray, we would have no sure hope for the future, and we would go down in death in desperate fear wondering if God will keep His promises.

But we live in faith and die in hope precisely because our God is faithful.

God does not fail, forget, falter, change, or disappoint.

How does knowing that God is faithful make you feel?

***** This is part 1 of 3 in a series on God’s faithfulness.

1. Part 1 – God is faithful.
2. Part 2 – 3 implications of God’s faithfulness on our lives.
   
3. Part 3 – We can trust God.

A Few Related Posts You May Find Useful:

What is integrity? Developing Godly character Part 3:Perseverance & Godliness Is God good all the time? Most Christians are not faithful 2 truths we need to remember when we are hurting God blesses faithfulness How do you respond when you hit a wall?