Remember God's Faithfulness
This morning I began reading the book of Deuteronomy. In it God, reviews His law for His people and reminds them of His faithfulness in the past. Regardless of their failures, shortcomings and down right disobedience, He remained faithful. He always has been faithful and always will be faithful to keep His promises. The challenge is for us to remain faithful to Him. When we do, our obedience produces blessings for us. In the very center of the word obedience is the word, die. In order to be fully obedient to God, we need to die to self and our selfish desires daily.
Chuck Swindoll encourages us in The Living Insights Bible, to "remember the holiness of God in the present." He says, "blessings accompany obedience. When we consider the holiness of God, then God says, "Obey Me." If we faithfully obey, God blesses." Secondly, "compromise weakens distinctives. When the Lord gives us a standard and we begin to compromise, our distinctive as His children begins to weaken." Thirdly, "consequences follow disobedience." Something our grandchildren can quickly attest too. : ) Swindoll goes on to say, "It was true for Israel, and it is just as true for us today. When we walk in the presence of a holy God, the sin of disobedience will always carry a steep price."
We tell our sweet "grands" all the time, "we love you too much to let you disobey". God does too. "Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live. Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:9-11
No matter how long we've been wandering, God is always there, ready to forgive and help us move forward. The past, if we let it, will cripple us. So let it go!!! I love the verses in Isaiah 43:18,19 where the prophet Isaiah encourages us to, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Chuck Swindoll goes on the say, "The discipline of remembering God's faithfulness in the past will strengthen us for our journey in the present."
I can't begin to know the struggles you've gone through or are going through right now, but God does. He is waiting and ready for you to call on His strong, powerful name. "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands." Deuteronomy 7:9
His faithfulness endures forever . . .
For more verses on God's faithfulness see:
Psalm 145:13
Psalm 89:1-2
1 Corinthians 1:9
1 John 1:9
Psalm 108:4
Psalm 100:5
Psalm 33:4
Psalm 25:10
2 Thessalonians 3:3
