Faithful, Faithful, Faithful.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV)

When was the last time you heard someone being called faithful? In our daily interactions, the word faithful is not commonly used and unfortunately, at times, it is even frowned upon. Few people expect that one should be faithful in their words and actions towards others. The thought of being faithful is somewhat contrary to the accepted attitude of not only changing one’s mind but also looking after oneself even at the expense of others. We are more concerned about what works for us than what happens to others as a result of our actions or utterances. The need to change our positions so as to fit the occasion and season means that we are challenged in the areas of truthfulness and consistency. Yes, this is the world we are living in but as believers, we are in the world and not of the world (John 17:16).

Jesus prayed for those who will believe in Him, knowing that they will be in the world but have to be different, their standard being the unchanging word of God. It is no wonder that we are called not to conform to the standards of the world but to continually renew our minds (Romans 12:2). This is a high calling, but glory to God that His grace is sufficient and His power by the Holy Spirit is assured, we are not alone by living as He has required of us – differently from worldly standards. Our example is Jesus Christ, who lived and did only what He saw the Father doing; He is our benchmark and we are encouraged that just as He lived on earth, so can we live too.

On a personal level, the character of God as faithful has remained one which challenges my heart. With so little of faithfulness that goes around, the awareness of God as all-faithful is usually beyond the mind’s comprehension. Yet, the truth is that, it is His word and He continually let us know that He is unchanging, He remains true through the ages, He is faithful. Faithfulness is His character and there is no shadow of turning, no variation, no shifting with Him. What He has promised is what we get and nothing can make Him change. The two verses preceding our key verse (verses 11 and 12), start by stating that this is a faithful saying, meaning it is worth believing it as it is, for there is no chance of a change. The verses remind us that if we died with Christ, we will also live with Him, if we endure with Him, we will reign with Him, if we deny Him, He in turn will deny us BUT if we are faithless, He will remain faithful.

From the above, in all other examples He had an reciprocal response, but this changes when it comes to our faithlessness; He has given us faith to follow Him but if by any chance we turn out to be faithless, then we have lost Him for He will remain faithful - that is a constant for Him as God and more so, He cannot deny Himself. What a powerful statement of character, He is nothing more or less than FAITHFUL. Who can match that? Beloved, we have a peek into who God is, the firmness and dependability of His character. I see this as an invitation to be like Him so that we can embody His traits in the world around us. When we take this in, then the word “faithful” becomes who we are. In that light, we also should encourage others to be faithful.

Thoughts;

What does the word “faithful” mean in your life?

Would you be referred to by others as faithful?

How have you experienced God’s faithfulness?