Our Faithful God Demands a choice of Faithfulness from His People
Deuteronomy 7:9–11 (KJV 1900)
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; 10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
God’s faithfulness is unwavering, a constant in the lives of His children. No one can claim that God has not kept His word. As Numbers 23:19 (KJV) states, ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ Every word He speaks, He fulfills. His faithfulness is a rock we can always depend on.
God is faithful, and He demands His children to be faithful to Him. The English noun “faithfulness” denotes trustworthiness or dependability. When Christians disappoint God by doing things that harm Him, knowingly or unknowingly, they are not faithful to Him. God’s reassuring statement is ‘If one keeps my commandment or shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments, then I God will bless you’. Blessings only come from faithfulness to God. God never asks anything of us that He has not provided for us. His faithfulness to us should be enough for us to give Him the faithfulness He deserves.
Sometimes we put faithfulness in degrees. We think, ‘I will be faithful to God in the big things, such as being loyal to my spouse and not stealing from anyone. You know, the ten commandments and the things others can see.’ However, God wants faithfulness in all that we do. This means that every action, every decision, every thought should be guided by our commitment to God. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) reads, ‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ Whatever we do, it must be to the glory of God. God demands it.
Faithfulness is a demand from God and a choice from us.
It is a choice we make every day, in every action, in every thought. This choice empowers us, giving us control over our spiritual journey. It is a choice we must make, and make wisely.
Abraham was commanded to sacrifice the son whom God gave him in his old age (Gen. 22:1-2). Scripture shows that when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham did not ask any questions, did not procrastinate, or get any advice from anyone else. He obeyed God immediately (Gen. 22:3-10). This immediate obedience was not just a result of Abraham’s love for God, but also of his developed faith. Over the years, Abraham had cultivated a deep and mature faith through his obedience and walk with God. This faith allowed him to be faithful to God even in the most difficult of circumstances. And it was this faith that opened to him the power of the Spirit to change his surroundings and situation to align with the will of God. When Abraham was about to finish the sacrifice obligation to God, the angel of the LORD stopped him and said, ‘Lay not thine hand upon the lad.’ (Gen. 22:11-12). Faith connects one to God’s Spirit in the spiritual world, which can change or defy the natural laws. Abraham’s faithfulness, rooted in his developed faith, ensured that his son’s life would be spared. If Abraham hadn’t developed his faith through obeying and walking with God during his lifetime, he might have disobeyed God in this situation. However, he made the right choice and God blessed him because of it.
Final Thoughts.
God will always be with the faithful believer. The Scripture speaks frequently of the faithfulness of God and how He is there ready to help and bless those who are faithful to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 explains this concept by saying, ‘For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…’ Psalm 34:15 says, ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears are open unto their cry.’ Psalm 101:6 reads, ‘Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.’ A choice of faithfulness is so important to God that if it is consistent, the final words that will be heard are ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’ (Matt. 25:21) Well done, well done is what all faithful servants of God want to hear at the end of their lives. Well done. A Faithful God wants a Faithful people.