Faithful God, Faithful Me

The old hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” has long been one of my favorites. It’s based on this passage in Lamentations: It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness (3:22-23). The Scripture continues with these thoughts about hope, salvation, and the sufficiency of God: The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD (3:24-26).

God is faithful. These are just a few of the Bible verses that describe God’s faithfulness:

• Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9)
• Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds (Psalm 36:5).
• O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? (Psalm 89:8)
• Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (Psalm 119:90).
• O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth (Isaiah 25:1).
• God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9).
• There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
• Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19).

But, do we return His faithfulness?

No Christian is perfect, and we all sadly, constantly sin against our Perfect, Faithful God. But, our life goal should be faithfulness.

Remember Peter?

Most of the time he was faithful. Most of the time he was right beside Jesus. Yes, he was vocal and brash, and sometimes, he got it completely wrong. But he was faithful—until it really mattered. He denied Jesus. He not only denied Him, but he cursed and swore that he didn’t know Him.

The rooster crowed, and Peter realized his great sin.

The Bible says Peter wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75; Luke 22:62). It’s obvious that he repented of his sin of denying Christ, because Peter went on to become the main spokesman in the new church. God gave him special sign gifts, and the Bible says he was full of the Holy Ghost (Acts 4:8). Later, Peter goes to Cornelius’ house and saw gentiles saved. He preached the gospel of repentance. (By the way, how do you think he understood about repentance?)

The Bible offers hope for those of us who are not always faithful. (That’s every Christian.) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). This was written to believers!

Let’s read on: If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (1 John 1:10-2:6).

How can we do this?

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (Hebrews 12:1b-3).

Looking unto Jesus . . . because of Jesus . . . keeping our eyes on Him . . . lest we get weary and faint.

May we be faithful.

God is faithful.