The Bible instructs us to be like God, but many attributes of His we cannot attain to or even mimic: His eternality, His knowledge of all, His power over all, His transcending presence, and His perfection, to name a few. But some attributes we may properly aspire to, such as His loving-kindness, mercy, grace, and faithfulness.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, although the Bible implies the faithfulness of various people in its pages, it refers directly to only a few. In the Old Testament, Abraham, Moses, and David are called faithful (Nehemiah 9:8; Numbers 12:7; 1 Kings 3:6). In the New Testament, Timothy and other ministers of the gospel are referred to the same way (1 Corinthians 4:17; Colossians 4:7-12).<\/p>\n
But most often Scripture contrasts God\u2019s faithfulness with human faithlessness, as in Nehemiah 9:33: \u201cYou have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly.\u201d Or as Paul states in 2\u202fTimothy 2:13: \u201cIf we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
No wonder the Bible asks, \u201cA faithful man who can find?\u201d (Proverbs 20:6, KJV). I don\u2019t know about you, but I let people down, and a chain with even one broken link is still broken. I don\u2019t see myself as faithful, at least not in the way that I think the Bible means the term when it asks the question. I think I\u2019m reliable; I surely strive to be. Reliability is part of faithfulness, but to be faithful is more than just being reliable. It\u2019s elusive. That\u2019s why Proverbs 20:6 wonders if such a person can be found.<\/p>\n
The truth is, we find only one fully<\/em> faithful person in the Bible: God\u2019s own Son, our \u201cmerciful and faithful High Priest . . . It\u2019s not enough to just know this truth. How can we depend on the Lord\u2019s faithfulness?<\/p>\n I try to keep my word, but from time to time, I forget what I was supposed to do or procrastinate. I\u2019m not that dependable.<\/p>\n I ask myself if I am faithful when I try to help someone find their better self. Do I see it through? Or am I a better starter than finisher?<\/p>\n I, too, should be faithful in helping others lighten the burden of their temptation. Getting beyond some of the moral hazards of life often takes time and patience. Am I faithful like God in this matter? I want to be.<\/p>\n I cannot cleanse anyone of unrighteousness, but I can encourage others to accept His gift and change their lives. I can do the same and set a good example. I also have to examine whether I am faithful in forgiving others as He is. Do I hold a thought or desire of vengeance? Do I feel I deserve more than what someone has given me? Do I resent someone\u2019s behavior, or do I resist forgiving myself? I have done all of these things, but I want to be faithful in forgiving.<\/p>\n I am thankful for God\u2019s faithfulness. I may be fickle, but He is predictable. He does not change (Malachi 3:6), and Jesus Christ is the same \u201cyesterday, today, and forever\u201d (Hebrews 13:8).<\/p>\n That is our God. There are no surprises but safety in Jesus. He is a sure thing! I want to follow His example. Do you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Bible instructs us to be like God, but many attributes of His we cannot attain to or even mimic: His eternality, His knowledge of all, His power over all, His transcending presence, and His perfection, to name a few. But some attributes we may properly aspire to, such as His loving-kindness, mercy, grace, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":295,"featured_media":27222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37,1692],"tags":[75,1707,658,845,826,145,1706,1705],"yoast_head":"\n
\nJesus Christ, the faithful witness\u201d (Hebrews 2:17; Revelation 1:5). In fact, the Lord is called \u201cthe Amen, the Faithful and True Witness\u201d in Revelation 3:14. Our English word amen<\/em> comes from the Hebrew word that means faithful.<\/p>\nDivine dependability<\/h2>\n
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Fickle vs. faithful<\/h2>\n