God’s faithfulness is absolutely astounding to me. Daily I have doubts, worries, screw-ups and yet He stays faithful. I question what He does and how He does it, but He remains steadfast. And not just a put-up-with-you kind of faithful as He remains faithful in His lovingkindness.“Faithful is He who calls you and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thess 5:24 I love this passage as Paul goes through and talks about all the things you should be doing (being kind, being patient, confronting people in sin, etc) and then in the middle is this reminder—this isn’t up to you! I think about being kind to some people and immediately throw in the towel because I can’t do it. But I can offer kindness to someone that offends me because He is faithful and He will bring it to pass.This amazing lovingkindness of our Heavenly Father reminds us that although we lack significantly, He is able and willing to lavish us with love and it will spill out all over to others. The fruit of the Spirit isn’t something we generate—it’s a product of the Spirit.Most of the time when I start to get burned out or weary in my soul it’s because I have been trying to bring it to pass by myself. I think I have to conjure up feelings of patience, kindness and love. Any good that comes out of me, though, is a direct result of God’s faithfulness and Life in me.One really cool thing that happens when we allow God’s faithfulness and lovingkindness to run over and spill out of us is that we are able to stay faithful, patience and loving with people we never could on our own. You know, the ones who drive us crazy and make us want to run away and hide. (I’m not saying you should always hang in there with these people—but if God’s called you, you will have enough for them.)So, the question becomes--God, have you called me to this relationship? If He has, He will be all that you need for it. You can rest. You can allow God to be God. And He is a persistent God who chases after us time and time again. He is a faithful God who chooses to stand by us even when we are idiots. And He is a loving God whose lovingkindness is spoken of so often through the Bible as it makes sending His Son to die on the cross a reality. Love held Him there, not duty or pity or vengeance.God is faithful, and He will do today through you. Relax into that and find peace in Him.
Faithfulness and Lovingkindness