A Shepherds Musings – October 2010 (formerly “Pastor’s Chat)
I would like to finish out the year writing about God’s faithfulness, because He is faithful!
Today I searched anew for Bible verses that reveal God’s faithfulness and was blessed by God’s revelation of Himself through His Word (see selected verses below).
Apparently the first direct mention of God’s faithfulness is by Moses in Deuteronomy 7:9 as he addressed the children of Israel under the inspiration of God, “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.”
First, let’s note that this is a truth that we can know. Without a doubt, God will faithfully keep His covenants and His mercy. Secondly, that it is qualified by two conditions: 1) loving God and 2) keeping His commandments. The order is important here; the only way that anyone can keep God’s commands is to truly love Him first. We must respond to God’s revelation of Himself with loving faith and trust instead of rejection by willful ignorance (Romans 1) or willful religious pride (Romans 2). The Jewish leaders by the time of Christ had focused on the keeping of the commands in their own ways to the exclusion of knowing and loving God. Subsequently, they did not recognize Emmanuel and rejected their Messiah; therefore, they would not come under God’s mercy and instead came under God’s wrath as Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 23.
These two conditions of love and obedience, in that order, carry over into the New Testament in verses such as the following:
I John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
From these and many other verses we can conclude that our love, obedience, and faithfulness to God can only be attributed to God’s grace and work in us. It is the abiding Spirit of God within us as born again believers that helps us to depend on God’s faithfulness to His promises and mercy.
We must guard our hearts from trying to obey God without first loving Him. What has your motive been recently for obeying God?
With prayer, Brother Mark Worden
Selected Verses on God’s Faithfulness
De 7:9, “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.”
Ps 36:5, “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.”
Ps 40:10, “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.”
Ps 88:11, “Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?”
Ps 89:1, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”
Ps 89:2, “For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.”
Ps 89:5, “And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.”
Ps 89:8, “O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?”
Ps 89:24, “But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.”
Ps 89:33, “Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.”
Ps 92:1-2, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.”
Ps 119:75, “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”
Ps 119:86, “All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.”
Ps 119:90, “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.”
Ps 119:138, “Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.”
Ps 143:1, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.”
Jer 42:5, “Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.”
La 3:21 -26, “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 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. 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.”
Ho 2:20, “I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.”
1Co 1:9, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1Co 10:13, “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 Th 5:24, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
2Th 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
2Ti 2:13, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
Heb 2:17, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
Heb 10:23, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).”
Heb 11:11, “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”
1Pe 4:19, “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.”
1Jo 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Re 3:14, “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.”
Re 19:11, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”
Re 21:5, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Re 22:6, “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”
Magnify! 