True faithfulness comes from a deep abiding love for Jesus understanding that He first loved me and you.
Recall in 1 Corinthians 13:2 Paul writes, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity [love], I am nothing.”
Love is the foundation for trust and fidelity in our relationship in Christ. Obedience is not so difficult or laborious but an expression of our love to Him who is faithful.
We live in society were commitment is conditional. What do you bring to the table? What’s in it for me? How will this further my career? Broken promises to remain faithful are evident by divorces, separations and abandonment where couples have grown tired of each other or refuse to work through their differences.
People move from job to job or in constant motion whenever things become too difficult or when they are not the center of attention and feel they deserve better pay or promotion or chasing after some fantasy. There’s a shifting and rootlessness that keeps our entire society from being ground and settled. And you can see it in church attendance which drops on Sunday mornings only to spike whenever a special speaker visits or some entertaining concert is playing.
Galatians 5:22 speaks of faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit. It’s important to understand faithfulness is not something we do but rather it a character of Christ.
Faithfulness is cultivated by the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. From out of this work, the fruit of faithfulness is evident in our obedience to God. In other words, simply doing what God asked does not mean necessarily you are faithful. Faithfulness is a heart issue that only God can go to the depths of our heart to remedy. Like the prodigal we would find ourselves soon wondering far from home.
The question becomes then how do we sustain daily a faithful relationship to the Lord? In seeking the Lord, His answer was simple.
Acknowledge Me.
The definition of acknowledge means to recognize and remember.
Whenever we are tempted or weak and in times when all is going well, we must learn to acknowledge Him. Remember His faithfulness. Call to mind the promises in His Word.
Think about the past deliverance performed by His strength and think of the bright future He has in store for those who love Him. When we fail to acknowledge God and turn our focus to another we dismiss God. Acknowledging the Lord breaks the power of idolatry which always leads to unfaithfulness. For when we turn our focus away from God to acknowledge another means of relief, salvation, help, comfort etc. we will forfeit the mercy that could have been ours(Jonah 2:8).
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