It’s Not Who He Is

Faithfulness requires commitment. It requires keeping your word. Standing firm. Having integrity. Following through. Faithfulness means you don’t give up when it gets uncomfortable. You don’t leave when your ego gets bruised. You don’t back out because you’re too tired. You don’t run away even though you reeeeally wish you could.

I invite you to consider what it looks like to be faithful in your context.

Is it a relationship? A formal contract? An expectation you set with a neighbor? Something you agreed to do?

What would happen if you just changed your mind and decided to quit?

There would be consequences, I’m sure. Free will is both a blessing and a curse. We change our minds all the time, and no matter how hard we may try, we cannot and do not keep our word perfectly all the time. It’s just our reality. It’s who we are. We’re human.

I now invite you to consider God.

The creator of the universe. Your heavenly father. Perfect, holy, and limitless. He knows you completely (Psalm 139). He loves you completely (Jeremiah 31:3). And he won’t ever go back on his word.

He doesn’t grow weary. He cannot deny himself. He does not change. It’s not who he is.

Some of you may find yourselves in very uncomfortable situations, ones in which you have a very real choice to walk away. I hope that you find comfort in remembering that God knows exactly how you feel (Hebrews 4:15).

‘Uncomfortable’ doesn't even begin to describe how Jesus must have felt on the cross, or how God feels about our sin and poor choices (Hebrews 12:2). But in the face of discomfort, he chose to remain faithful. He chooses to be faithful, because that’s who he is.

So my encouragement for you today is to wrestle with what it means to be faithful where God has called you. Where you struggle to commit, ask God to help you be faithful, firstly and wholeheartedly, to him, then to your calling. Remind yourself that the faithfulness of God is like nothing ever seen or heard before.

Revel in his faithfulness.

God, thank you for your faithfulness to me. I don’t always see it, but that doesn’t mean you’ve turned your back on me. Give me eyes to see how you’re calling me to be faithful in this moment. Give me mercy to endure discomfort and pain. Give me wisdom to know when to walk away. I want to honor you, Lord, with my whole heart. Please make me more like Jesus today. By your Spirit’s power and in your mighty name. Amen.

Song of Encouragement: “Till It Kills Me” by Trulah, Madison Ryann Ward