Faithful

Today I read this scripture that says, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful.” (2 Tim 2:13) and it got me thinking how we often separate the words “faithful” and “faith” as if they have nothing to do with one another. But they have everything to do with each other. If you “love” someone you will be “loving.” If you have “hope” then you become “hopeful.” If we have “faith” then we will be “faithful.”  

If you look up the definition of faith it is ”Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” 

People have faith in science, faith in their heroes, faith in their governments etc. We have faith in our cars, our phones, our navigation systems. We have faith in doctors, electricians, plumbers, and others to do the jobs we’re paying them to do. So, do we have faith, “trust and confidence” in Jesus Christ?  

I have faith in a God that made an orderly world, gave me free will, and died for me. One of these things would be enough to give me faith in Him, but all three give me trust and devotion to Him.

1. An Orderly World: We know the sun will rise every day and set every night. But imagine if God created a chaotic world with no predictable patterns. What if the sun came out for 3 days and then night lasted 10 days with no sunrise and then we had no idea how long the sun would come out for again?  

What if there were no predicable seasons, we looked forward to every few months?! We would never know when to grow or harvest our plants. Sometimes winter would last a year and then we would have summer for 1 week, and we never knew which season was coming next or for how long?! Most of us wouldn’t survive cause there wouldn’t be enough food with these strange seasons.  

Instead, we have this thought-out, planned, predictable world. It’s like a well-oiled machine. Some claim that the most in-depth machine on earth is a coincidence. However, the incredible order of it all gives me faith and trust in the architect.  

2. Free Will: The gift of free will also gives me faith (complete trust) in God. A lot of us have seen or experienced censorship on social media the last few years. If the platform doesn’t agree with your opinion, they take it down. Imagine if God censored us while we were speaking. What if we were talking to someone and all of the sudden, God hit the mute button, so no sound came out of our mouths. So, we tried to text our thoughts, but God didn’t let our fingers move. He stopped us because we are about to say something that is untrue, hurtful, or foul mouthed.  

Maybe there would be some pros. Our words would never hurt someone, and others would never hurt us with their words, but it wouldn’t be out of our free will. So, we would never know what others really think of us, or how they truly want to treat us. We’d never have the wonderful freedom to express our thoughts unless the platform, AKA God, agreed with what we said.  

3. He Died for Us: His sacrifice on the cross is another reason I have faith (complete trust in him). Because we have the gift of free will, we often make mistakes. We sin, we “fall short of the glory of God.” We hurt Him, we hurt others, we hurt ourselves. We don’t live up to the precepts He set. God didn’t just sit there and allow us to one day go to Hell. Instead, He came and took our punishment upon Himself, even though He never sinned.

He also made a way for us to live in fellowship with Him here on earth. We can have His Spirit live inside of us. Incredible!! Not only that, but He makes a way for us to live in eternity with Him in Heaven. What an AMAZING God!!  Yes, I have faith, “complete trust and confidence” in Him. This leads me to want to be “faithful” because of my “faith” in Him.

The definition of faithful is:“Steadfast in affection or allegiance.”“Loyal, devoted.”

Why wouldn’t we be devoted to something or someone that we have “complete trust and confidence in?” Even when our faith is shaky, the amazing thing about our God is He remains faithful. He is still devoted to us. Wow! That’s who He is. That reminds me of the scripture, “…God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4

As I reflect on all of this, God’s love, faithfulness, and devotion wrecks me all over again. His kindness doesn’t make me want to have a guilt-free card to sin. No, instead it makes me just love Him more, and it makes me want to walk close to Him. His kindness does lead me to repentance. “When we are faithless, he is faithful!” That doesn’t make me want to turn my back and walk away. It makes me want to be faithful to a God that is forever faithful to me.  So, as we strive to become more “loving” and “hopeful,” I want to live my life being “faithful” to the one who will never stop being faithful to me.