God Is Faithful!

Can any of you say that you’ve never broken a promise?? Can any of you say that you’ve never had another person break a promise that he or she made to you?? If you can answer “yes” to either question, then consider yourself blessed, but I’m guessing that most of us have to answer “no” to both questions. We cannot, however, say that God has ever broken a promise, and rainbows in the sky always remind me of his faithfulness!

Today, I want to share several verses that speak of God’s faithfulness, with the hope of helping us to grow a little more faithfulness in our lives. I was recently working on a lesson about faithfulness for a ladies group that was taking a look at the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” I’ve always thought of the things in that list as being traits I should grow and practice towards others and maybe just for myself (like joy and peace) – except for faithfulness. I always think of faithfulness as a response I have towards God. I don’t know why I never considered that maybe faithfulness should also apply to my interactions with others, when it seems that everything else in the list does. I found many synonyms for faithfulness, including the following: adherence, allegiance, fidelity, attachment, constancy, dependability, loyalty, trustworthiness, care, and ardor. I certainly can see applying each of those words to relationships with people. As I was studying for the lesson I was preparing, I read a little bit from a commentary that made me reconsider my ideas about faithfulness, at least from the standpoint of Galatians 5:22. The commentary defined faithfulness as “trustfulness” (not trustworthiness) – “the habit of mind which does not doubt that God is working all things together for the good of those who love and trust him (Romans 8:28), that seeks to realize the truth of Paul’s words concerning love, that it ‘believeth all things’ (I Corinthians 13:7).”  The writer of the commentary went on to talk about “trustfulness” in our dealings with others, as opposed to suspicion and distrust, and also “trustfulness” in our dealings with God, not being suspicious (or doubtful) of his love or wisdom.

Whatever your take on faithfulness, whether it’s loyalty to God or “trustfulness” to others or both, I figure we can all stand a little improvement in the faithfulness department. Why do we struggle with this at times? Maybe it’s because we deal with imperfect people everyday – people who sometimes hurt us by not keeping their promises to us. Maybe it’s because we go through difficult times, and it becomes easy to believe the devil when he tells us that God isn’t with us anymore. There are hundreds of verses in the Bible, however, that talk about God’s faithfulness.  I thought if we reminded ourselves of his faithfulness to his people that it might be easier for us to demonstrate faithfulness in our day-to-day lives. Following are several verses about God’s faithfulness and also some verses that mention how we will be blessed and rewarded for OUR faithfulness.

GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES!

Genesis 21:1-2 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.

(The LORD with Moses) Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,….”

(Balaam to Balak) Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Deuteronomy 7:8-9 ….but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,…..

(Moses to the Israelites) Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Joshua 21:45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

I Kings 8:56 Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people in Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.

Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

Psalm 36:5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Psalm 100:4-5 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 119:90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

Lamentations 3:22-24 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Matthew 6:31-34 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(Christ to his disciples) John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Acts 12:32-33 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”

(About Abraham) Romans 4:20-21 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

II Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I John 2:25 And this is the promise that he made to us – eternal life.

God blesses and rewards us for our faithfulness!

Psalm 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

(Paul’s words) II Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Revelation 2:10b ….Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

I hope all of those verses bring you comfort in these uncertain days and help you to grow in faithfulness – to God and to others!  How can we lack in faithfulness when we serve a God who is never lacking in his?? And as we consider God’s faithfulness and the fact that he keeps ALL of his promises, we need to remember a couple of other promises that he made. Joshua reminded the Israelites in Joshua 23:15, “But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you,…” Paul wrote in II Thessalonians 1:7-9, “….when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,….” Let us all be encouraged in our faithfulness, because we have a powerful and faithful God! And may his rainbows remind you that he keeps his promises!