Something Different for May - Day 6 - God Remains Faithful

Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.

True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,

“You will be proved right in what you say,
and you will win your case in court.”

“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? 

“But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.

Romans 3:1-8 NLT

Day 6

Prayer:

Father God, 

                   Thank You for entrusting Your Word to the world through the Jewish people—even though some haven’t believed in Your Son. You’re always faithful (even when we’re faithless!), always true even if every human is a liar. Help us today to be faithful to You. Amen.

Praying Through Romans  www.crosswalk.com

Friends' Favorites - Faithful Love

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Hebrews 13:4-6 NLT

So many stories of love gone awry. There are WAY too many stories of unfaithful love in the headlines, and none of them sadder than when it involves someone who is supposed to be a Christian. Let’s just be very clear about this. It was NEVER – and HAS never – and WILL NEVER be in God’s plan for us to be unfaithful because HE is not unfaithful, nor can He be… and we are to be like Him.

Oh, we hear all the excuses…”There are too many temptations out there.” “I couldn’t help myself.” “It’s not my fault…” You can go to work or school and NOT have to be the most popular person. And, if you know the temptations are “out there,” then don’t GO “out there.” You CAN help yourself when you CHOOSE to follow God. One of the fruits of His Holy Spirit is self-control… And I don’t need Webster’s, Oxford’s or Funk & Wagnall’s to tell me that self-control means to control myself. I’m not even going to address “It’s not my fault…” Yes, it is.

What does it mean to be faithful? What does it take to be faithful? If we don’t know the answer to either of those, how can we be faithful? Either way - by whatever means we take - it’s only through God and striving to be like Him. His Word says we are to be like Him.

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

1st Thessalonians 5: 23-24 NKJV, Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

2nd Thessalonians 3:2-3 NKJV, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

And while learning the process and in all things, Psalm 107:1 NLT instructs us to Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Prayer:

Father,
           Establish our hearts in You so that our whole spirit, soul, and body may be preserved blameless at the coming of Jesus Christ. You are faithful, Father, who also will do it. Cause us to be faithful to You and to the ones You have placed in our lives. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Unfaithful

Listen to the noise on the hilltops! It’s the people of Israel, weeping and begging me to answer their prayers. They forgot about me and chose the wrong path. I will tell them, “Come back, and I will cure you of your unfaithfulness.”
Jeremiah 3:21-22a CEV

What are you looking for in a relationship? Love, obviously. Laughter? Someone who makes you feel good about yourself? Someone whose life decisions and actions are motivated by how those will affect you and your lives together? 

E - all of the above, right? Definitely the upside of relationship.

What about the downside? Stick with me, there is a point to this. Have you ever been ignored in a relationship? It didn't matter what you said or what you did, they were gonna do whatever they wanted to do because they figured you weren't going anywhere. Ever had someone to whom you were totally committed - 100% in - be unfaithful to you? THAT is serious pain - emotionally and physically. It's brutal - especially if it's more than once. Then you're dealing with trust issues and all kinds of garbage. The odds of restoration for that relationship are slim to none. It would truly take an act of God...

And that's exactly what God offers us even though we are unfaithful. We ignore Him. We make time for everything else and figure He'll wait for us because He's God. We put Him on the back burner - sometimes even in our quest to do "His work". We waste countless hours on nothingness. We 'worship' at the throne of pleasure - for whatever makes us feel good. Instead of going to Him for consolation, we go to the phone. Instead of going to Him for comfort, we go to food or drugs or drink. We're cheating on God and our relationship with Him. Old Testament and New Testament warn us about this very thing. (Read Hebrews 10:31)

God IS faithful. He is faithful to perform His Word. The cry of God's heart is "Come back!", but just like in any relationship, it's our choice. He won't make us come back. And even though restoration of the relationship is His greatest desire and gift to us, if you read His Word, you realize the day is coming when that will no longer be an option. It will be too late. And today, we're one day closer to that day.

Prayer:

Father,

Cure us of our unfaithfulness. We want to be found in You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen