Longsuffering

           And there i sat, day after day … the sun came up and the sun went down … the seasons came and went … days went by …  waiting to hear from the Lord. Three years and not a word, not even a whisper in the tree tops … oh yea, there were dreams of destiny from time to time but they were dim and fleeting. Do you think God tests you so He’ll know what you’re made of, or, so you’ll know what you’re made of? Do you think the Lord took you to the desert to die just for the sport of watching the light slowly go out of your eyes? Nope. It is my hope we know Him better than that. Is it really being abandoned, isolated and alone, or is it time alone with God to build faith for our future destiny? Remember …  while we are in difficult circumstances and we’re practicing our longsuffering, Jesus did say, “Always with you” and “Never forsake you.” Ever.           Longsuffering.

It most certainly, never, never, never is the Lord to leave you with no promise and no support. Ever. And He ALWAYS keeps His promises. Always.

Abram believed God, and became Abraham, God’s covenant partner. The Lord had Himself a man who would believe for the impossible.

One of Abraham’s first impossible situations was that the Lord was going to bring His only Son through the line of Abraham … but then, Abraham needed a son, and he didn’t have one.

In this case, God waited until the situation was impossible before moving, not being the God of the final hour but the God of “right on time”. God promised to make Abraham the “father of many nations,” yet Abraham didn’t even have a son …  not a one …  let alone enough to make a tribe, much less many nations.

Abraham’s situation looked so impossible, he couldn’t see how God was going to do it. It says in Genesis 17:17, “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”” The word there for “laughed” isn’t meant as a gentle chuckle, it means literally that they “giggled and chuckled incredulously”. The Lord’s promise seemed so outrageous to them it was laughable. Yet time went by and God did the impossible. Sarah did in fact conceive, and brought forth Isaac, the son of promise.

God waited. It probably seemed like forever from the time God made that promise, until He brought forth the son of that promise. The Lord is longsuffering, and it’s one of our fruits of the Spirit. He is always working behind the scenes on our behalf, and just because we don’t see His working doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Longsuffering – patiently enduring while diligently clinging to the promise that God will do what He said He would do, and when He does, it will be a testimony to all who see. In the meantime, we develop an understanding of the Lord, coming to a better perception of what is in our hearts along with knowing God’s details. Longsuffering.

i believe Abraham understood that his God was the God of the impossible. Even when he went to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, he was expecting God to do something miraculous. Even though the Bible is silent about this, i’ve wondered, what did Abraham expect God to do? On a side note, when the Bible is silent about things, we can speculate for sure, but the fact still remains that we can’t build sound doctrine from a platform of silence.  In the meantime of waiting for God to accomplish His word to us, we must hold the line and not faint, believing the Lord will do all that He has said and more.

Maybe Abraham expected God to raise Isaac from the dead, i don’t know … but whatever he expected, we do know Abraham said he and Isaac would both be coming back as noted from Genesis 22:5.

Abraham knew his God was more than able to take care of any impossible situation. Isaac was the son of promise, and no matter what, God would make His promise come to pass.

What impossible situation are you facing today? i’m sure some of us have waited for, what feels like a ridiculous amount of time. Are you determined though, to follow the Lord regardless of how things turn out? Remember, God is still solving impossibilities for us, just like he did for Abraham.

A dear friend of mine said he and his wife were in a terrible fix, although, by the skin of their teeth their needs were being met with nothing to spare, all in all, they didn’t feel like the Lord was anywhere to be found. He felt exhausted and his wife was near to fainting. He said they’d been desperately praying for months and months, that they had diligently fasted, fervently repented, declared good things, rebuked unseen bad things, claimed promises, and that his hope and faith were worn down to dried out bones. Yet there he sat and nothing had changed. One day i called him and he said for months he’d been begging the Lord to come and save him, then in a most pitiful voice he said, “I feel like a little boy at the orphanage waiting for his father to come pick him up, and day after day, no one shows up and there is just the sound of wind, empty halls, and rain against the window panes.” i wept.

From where i was sitting, even in all of his terrible circumstance, at the core of his person was a little light of hope that kept rekindling itself somehow, like a flame bound to a coal and it just refused to go out. He kept holding on to the Lord knowing that man, himself, can fix nothing and really only God could help. Often, we all have nobly said that we “know” only God can fix things, but yet, often, we are a nervous wreck and can’t sleep because what we say we know and what we r-e-a-l-l-y know are two different things. Mind you, my friend didn’t do anything wrong. He’s not a crook, or a liar, he’s not a manipulator or a transgressor … he’s not greedy and stupid … and i’m saying that for any listeners who would feel the need to go down the list of sins as to why unfortunate things happen to good people. Some would easily throw out a “one scripture fixes all” statement, but that doesn’t help. “One and done” isn’t a good answer.

i’ll tell you what i see, and i hope my friend is reading. i see a man and woman who are longsuffering and holding on to Jesus, knotting their hands in the hem of His garment for all their worth, determined to go with the Lord; i see two people who keep waiting on the Lord because they truly believe Jesus will come and lift their hearts, and He will; i see two people who are kind and gentle, smart and intuitive who love honesty and truth; i see the fruit of the spirit in them and it’s how i know they are in the fellowship of the saints. i know they don’t feel much like that considering where they are right now, and i understand that when we get in a terrible spot and see no way out, life seems impossible. But,  it doesn’t matter, in the moment, how we got there but more that God knows exactly where we are and He will come and rescue us.

Friends, you who are in desperate places, i admire your patient endurance and your determination to not be moved, your longsuffering, for it’s not a test so God will know what you’re made of, but so you will know what you’re made of for the purpose of going where people are the most desperate and giving them hope.

Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of offense and personal challenge which does not hastily retaliate or run swiftly to chastisement; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God,

Exodus 34:6, “And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,”

i believe the Lord wants to develop the grace of longsuffering in our lives. i must say i’m not, by any means, thrilled at learning this grace, nor am i enthusiastic about, metaphorically, being at the bottom of the ocean in order to learn to trust God for my breath … but …  IF God really does know best, IF He really is who we are following, then learning longsuffering isn’t about enduring a situation, but more about clinging to Jesus. The Fruits of the Spirit are more than a thing to do but someone to be. If it’s just a “thing to do” it just diminishes the vastness of God and reduces us to rule keepers. The heart of the Lord is that we’d be changed.

Getting wisdom and grace are often acquired through trials and difficulties, typically through situations rife with unfortunate circumstances and not something we would wish on anyone, but truly, it is wisdom and grace possessed in no other way except to “go through” deep water with the Lord. Often, we find ourselves in great distress because we have heard from the Lord and then WE re-decide His directions, and then we re-decide our re-decision when the path is too steep to continue. It’s like the Lord asks us to climb a mountain. We sing our best worship songs and strike out on the upward trail. Hours later, when we’re hot, tired, and thirsty … we’ve stopped singing and are out of breath. Then half way up the mountain, we re-decide everything and invent a word from the Lord saying, “Things aren’t well with me, i believe the Lord wants me to go back down.” Longsuffering says we stay the course and rely on God to do what only God can do. i realize that is easy to say, but once again, when deep water is coming over the side, the wind is howling, and ocean spray is stinging our skin, it’s not so easy to be the heroic figure standing tall and strong as we may have imagined … unless … in our times with the Lord we have learned longsuffering. We truly love the idea of being a hero, but the reality is, staying the course, being determined to stand strong, and finishing the race actually is the stuff of heroes.

Through the trials which we have walked, fixed firm in our hearts that the Lord is with us, He will never leave us, and that we will follow after Jesus no matter what the storms do or how limited our understanding and vision are. Longsuffering says that we’ve learned to restrain our inclination to knee-jerk reactions and doesn’t abandon our mission without careful consideration of the circumstances and confirmation from the Lord.

 Colossians 1:11, “… strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;”

In the Old Testament, many times patience can be used where the translators used longsuffering, the intent of the word changes, some, based on the words before and after it’s usage. But in the New Testament, especially Colossians 1:11 and 2 Timothy 3:10, patience and longsuffering are used in the same sentence, revealing to us that there is a difference.

Patience is a hyper persistence to abide in Christ while waiting on God, and longsuffering is long passion with fierce determination to not be moved. Now that’s a really important definition to hear, so i’m going to say it again: Patience is a hyper persistence to abide in Christ while waiting on God, and longsuffering is long passion (to breath hard after) with fierce determination to not be moved. As with kindness and compassion, which are both masculine nouns, here we have another righteous noun pair, longsuffering and patience, which are feminine nouns … they are like two sisters who go together. If we find longsuffering acting in our hearts, we can rest assured patience is very nearby.

There are quite a few pairs which the Lord has put together and don’t act independently of each other. To name a few, hope and purpose, kindness and compassion, and longsuffering and patience.

If Hope comes to visit, make two beds in your spare room because her sister purpose is staying also.

If you set a place at the table for kindness, set two, because his brother, compassion, expects to join the party too … from God’s perspective you can’t have one without the other because, for example, kindness without compassion is called deceit.

If we set sail with longsuffering, patience insists on being at the helm also. Patience says i will abide in Christ while we wait, and longsuffering says i refuse to budge from my place of forbearance while patience does her work.

i figure since God is longsuffering, it makes perfect sense to me that if the Spirit of God dwells within us then He will begin to demonstrate or manifest His characteristics within us as a fruit of the Spirit. Some church folks think when the Lord inhabits their heart, somehow their journey will be blue skies, gentle breezes, moonbeams and merry-go-rounds, and that’s simply not so. i don’t believe the idea of longsuffering and patience is in our nature unless it’s to get something we want, in fact, i’m pretty sure that mankind, left to their own thinking, is nothing but a downward spiral and we exclusively need Jesus to find the updraft necessary to fly beyond the gravitational pull of this world. In our society we tend to split things out into their own little categories. It is a method used to measure how well we’re doing, it makes a calculatable outcome easier to predict with a measurable probability of success. God sees the fruits of the Spirit quite differently though.

2 Timothy 3:10, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and perseverance”.

Paul doesn’t just equate purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and perseverance as separate things, but as a lifestyle and doctrine that define us. Again, fruits of the Spirit aren’t merely a thing to do, but someone to be. Longsuffering, along with the other fruits of the Spirit, are more than just beliefs we hold. Literally they are principles of governing policy. Longsuffering and patience are part of what governs our appetites. Be honest about what is really in your heart: Who or what governs your appetites, and do you know what, how, and why you allow those things or that person to define you? 

Romans 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Is longsuffering essential? i believe, Yes.

Longsuffering and patience are among the things which are indispensable. They are principle among first things. Necessary because Christ has forgiven us, therefore we must be longsuffering and willing to forgive each other.

Colossians 3:12-13, “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: kindness, compassion, humility, longsuffering, bearing with each other, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as God forgave you.”

Longsuffering is necessary for maintaining the unity of the body of Christ in order that we would walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, Ephesians 4:2-3, “ … with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Without longsuffering, the transgressions we commit against one another will quickly destroy the very unity for which Christ died. If we watch the congregation more than we look at Jesus, anyone could easily find enough offense to lose their footing. It is easy to find fault with other believers, but it is God in us to be longsuffering and patient.

Longsuffering and patience are supremely necessary for those who would be in leadership. In the days of the Roman Empire, soldiers were often not paid in currency, but with salt, thus the phrase “worth your salt” is more easily understandable. So, as a leader who is worth their salt, we must have longsuffering and patience with people. Those in leadership will often find themselves first to start because they’re leading the way, and last to finish because they’ve stayed behind to ensure everyone got across to safety. i marvel at how often the very sheep you help are the very first to bite, and we must be longsuffering and patient with our people. And yes, sheep bites hurt. No servant of the Lord can faithfully correct those in opposition, without the character quality of longsuffering and patience.

2 Timothy 2:24-25, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient, in humility instructing those that oppose themselves…”

One time, foolishly, i put a tablespoon of fresh Oregano in my mouth … it was so overwhelming i quickly spit it out and immediately tried to wash the taste out. It was horrible. Well, like many seasonings, i don’t think anyone would want to put them directly in their mouth, even so, they are needed to bring out the best flavor of everything else they come in contact with. So too, no one i know enjoys the bitter taste of affliction or trial yet they are necessary if we are to enjoy the righteous fragrance that longsuffering and patience rewards us with.

A man was walking through the grocery store with a screaming baby in the shopping cart. A woman nearby noticed that time and again the man would calmly say: “Keep calm, James. Keep calm, James.” Finally, in admiration for the man’s longsuffering and patience as the child continued to wail, the woman walked up to him and said: “Sir, I really admire you for your patience with baby James,” to which the man replied, drawing himself up to full height: “Madam, I am James!”

i believe longsuffering and patience are like the ballast in the bottom of a ship, they keep us from going belly up when the wind is howling and a stormy trial is at hand. When you’re running against the wind, and the darkness is closing in, your trust in the Lord, and willingness to be longsuffering and patient will always bring you to a safe haven.

If we don’t learn anything in our afflictions, it’s just stupid … there is no point in useless suffering … people who don’t learn anything in their afflictions seem to only have old age and dying to look forward to, and honestly, we shouldn’t worry about getting old, it doesn’t last long. Galatians 3:4, “did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing?” If we’ve thought our terrible situations are all for nothing, we are wrong … we are always changed when the Lord walks with us through our afflictions.

Longsuffering and patience don’t happen overnight, nor is it without cost, but God has a purpose in developing them in us. James 1:2-4, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

Be strong and courageous, let God do His work developing the fruit of the Spirit: longsuffering and patience in you. You will be more at peace and so will everyone around you.

“May the LORD bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you.” Amen.

Among all of the things we all do, everyone does a good thing here and there, obviously some more than others, even the worst of people do something good from time to time, and i suppose it also depends on how you define “good”. But i suppose when we speak of scripture and take into consideration what God calls “good works”, the longer i look at it the more obvious it is that the Lord considers there to be a wide difference between doing good things and having good works.

Is it possible that the difference is a matter of the heart and not the deed which was done….that the difference isn’t in the action but from what foundation the action was performed?

As the day is drawing to a close, where are you on your “at rest” meter? The Lord rested after seven days of creation and meant for us to have times of rest also. If we are always in production mode, always under the weight of “getting stuff done” we will burn out, possibly even imploding. It seems so many are under the constant weight of taking their children here and there – being driven by the needs of those around them who don’t seem too concerned for anyone else’s welfare; or maybe there’s  pressure at work to accomplish more than what we’ve signed on for – like an overbearing boss who micromanages everyone and everything, we must endure their poor management style because we need that job really bad, so we endure for the sake of a paycheck. We need rest or we will be wounded. Remember, if the devil can’t prevent your going forward, he’ll get behind you, put his foot on your back, and shove you faster than you can go. He thinks it’s funny to see you fall, laughing at your pinwheeling arms and legs while falling forward to skin your hands and knees. i think it’s good to know when to say yes, but also equally important how and when to say no also. You get my drift?

This evening’s topic is “Illustrated Righteousness”, or “Good works”, what does the Lord mean when He uses the word “works”, and is there a difference between doing good things, and maintaining good works? Come go with me this evening, put your ears on, and i’ll return after a short, but pleasant break.

God and the Bible are our reference, first, last and always. The Lord alone is our standard, and any other standard is only a degraded version of the truth. God points us to the Bible and the Bible points us to God. Christ and the Bible are our reference for morals, principles, and ethics, together they are our guide on how to think and conduct ourselves in conversation and the act of living…SO….in light of that, by the law of first mention, the first time the Lord mentions “labors” or just “work” is in Genesis2:2, where He uses “work” and “rest” in the same sentence. From that simple example, i take it that if we speak of our “works in Christ,” we must also discuss our “rest in Christ.” If we work we must rest, and when we rest, the intent is to take a time of repose, to gather ourselves in devotion to the Lord, replenishing our stores in preparation to surge forward again in the Name of Jesus.

What is your idea of what the Lord means when He says something is “good”? When He used the word “good” in Gen1:4, saying, “And God saw the light, that it was good,” i see it as an incredible word. It can be a noun, a verb, an adjective, masculine or feminine, single or plural. Just amazing! Upon dissecting the word, to the letters, God’s idea of “good” is like “Favor from the margins”…now i really like that – “favor from the margins”, from edge to edge, running down, and overflowing. In reference to all His works, His plans accomplished and yet to be, Christ and the resurrection, “favor from the margins” means, “In our link to God, the cross of Christ, there is hidden Shalom, like a fountain in the eye of the landscape of all that’s in the House of the Almighty.” Within the word “good”, there is an arm and hand which sew seeds, growing the Kingdom of God, so we all can watch and see it grow and know that the Lord is God. Friends, i think that is a definition worthy of serious consideration, so here it is again…. through the cross of Jesus, God’s goodness is centerpiece in the landscape of Heaven, by which we sow seeds of righteousness, growing he Kingdom of Heaven.

So much of our definition of good is so, SO very subjective, meaning it is our version of it all. Often we lower God’s standard to be something we find more, how should i say, “more palatable”, and easier to perform, and then we use our idea of “good” as a standard to measure ourselves by. Eventually, we decide, according to our own twisted standard of “goodness”, that we are good people, and it’s not right.

Good works is “illustrated righteousness”, it is the planting of the seeds of the Kingdom of God.

Steve Hill of Steve Hill Ministries wrote: “Many Christians are heavy and cast down, principally because they are idle and selfish. They often feel that the active, benevolent spirit of watching for opportunities to do essential service to our fellow-creatures is no more than menial. What good does it afford to merely believe in doctrines which are then put to no good purpose? Usefulness is the very excellency of life. No man, in the real church of Christ, lives unto himself. Every true Christian is a tree of righteousness, whose fruits are good and profitable unto men. He is glad to help and to comfort others. He is diligent and industrious. He speaks to edification; dwells in peace, gentleness and love. He reproves what is wrong by an excellent example, and recommends, by his own practice, what is pleasing to God. Our good works express mercy, and are thus expected to be performed by believers insofar as they are able, in accordance with Matthew 5:7.” Do you see the heart posture in Mr. Hill’s words? He said, “Reproving what is wrong by being an excellent example, and recommends, by his own practice, what is pleasing to God.” Our expression of mercy is one of God’s key attributes – mercy is considered as foundational “good works” and sets an example by our outward practice. The Lord has defined what is good, and His requirement of each of us is to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God?

Around 1607, a painter named, Caravaggio, did an extraordinary painting depicting the seven works of mercy which are a set of compassionate acts concerning the material welfare of others. The painting portrays feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, burying the dead, giving shelter to travelers, comforting the sick, and freeing the imprisoned. Those works of mercy are termed by the Lord as “good works”. They plant seeds of peace and impart the vision of clear water flowing from the eye of the landscape of the Heart of God.

1 Peter 2:12, “..but to live such good lives among the pagans that even though they now speak against you as evildoers, they will, as a result of seeing your good actions, give glory to God on the Day of his coming.” What that means is that the works of mercy, the good works God motivates us to do, are works which are observable, they are righteousness illustrated so everyone can watch and see, that they would come to the knowledge that the Lord is God. Fathers, don’t just tell your children how they should be, God calls you to BE the man who is an example of how they should be. You want them to be different, you be different. Don’t just tell them about justice, kindness, and honesty, live your life according to the standard of the Lord and let them see you demonstrating how they should live their lives.

i am compelled to ask myself, “do i have works of mercy in my life?”. We all should take some personal inventory after looking at Caravaggio’s work. Is the righteousness the Lord says is within me visible, or am i busy wearing a disguise so i fit in with the rest of the world? And you? Where do you fit in this?

i want to paint with words something visible, something seen with our internal eyes when i speak of “good” and “goodness” with the end point being a better understanding of “good works”, or “righteousness illustrated”.

John 10:32, while being persecuted by the Pharisee’s Jesus answered them saying, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father…” He demonstrated good works, and He didn’t just talk about what He might do if He had time, or what He would do, maybe, sometime in the future… He did the works…He got up out of His chair and took action, just like the Lord is God of action, and there is nothing passive and uninvolved about Him. Titus2:14 implies that not only was Jesus zealous for good works, but we who are freed from iniquity, should also be zealous for good works.

The actions of the wrongness of character and a bruised conscience are visible, and even when done in secret they somehow have a way of finding their way into the public eye. Sort of like when i was a child and fell on some glass. A doctor got most of the glass out and then sewed me up, but over the years, occasionally, a little piece of glass would suddenly appear at the surface of my skin from time to time. Sin is that way just like good works are that way. It may hide for the moment, but our works, evil or righteous, have a way of coming out. “Illustrated Righteousness” is visible, and even when done in secret, they can’t stay hidden. 1 Timothy 5:24-25, “The sins of some people are obvious and go ahead of them to judgment, but the sins of others follow afterwards. Likewise, good deeds are obvious; and even when they are not, they can’t stay hidden.”

Here’s an example of the attitude behind good works. One day, while discussing cruel merchandisers, skimmers, scammers, and fleecers of the innocent, a good friend of mine said, “I don’t think I’m the “best” example of a human on this planet, but I “trade” too… we all do.  If I’m trading with somebody I don’t know, I want to trade profitably, but I don’t take advantage of people.  As for people in my “circle”, I NEVER profit from them. That’s WRONG.” That is good works, and it’s not just a physical action, but more an attitude which propagates good works. Can you hear what i’m saying about this?

i think we can assume there are believers who are full of good works, like the disciple in Acts9:36, it reads, “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.” The woman’s name literally means “the gazelle” and i take it she was devoted to illustrating the righteousness of Christ in her heart and was known as a graceful person.

Not only were we created to “illustrate righteousness”, but God has actually prepared in advance good works for us to do. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s poetry, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

All our spiritual advantages are from God. We are his workmanship, His poem, not only as people, but as saints. As believers we are a new person by the blood of Jesus, and are born again by His will, by the influence, action, and application of the Holy Spirit. We were created to illustrate righteousness; we were designed to be fruitful. The seeds of righteousness, wherever God has planted them, are the seeds of His character and they will grow good works. We are not saved by our good works, but the good works are evidence of Christ in us.

Can the Lord plant anything which will not grow and be fruitful?  God has appointed to us the knowledge of His will, and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we live out a life of illustrated righteousness that we would glorify God by exemplary character, conduct, and conversation. Titus 2:7-8, “…in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility and sound speech that cannot be condemned…”.

i believe from the Lord’s perspective, “Good works” come from the hands

of the righteous. Even sinners do good things, but no where does God call

the works of the unredeemed “good works”.

The fruits of righteousness is “good works”, and by His grace, we are

adorned with “good works” that the people of God may be perfect, thoroughly

furnished with the ability to illustrate God’s goodness. “Good works” do not exist unless, bottom line, unless we DO something, we must make a move and move the ball, or else “good works” don’t happen. In fact, nothing “just happens”. “Good works”require heart and motion. Think about it.

Some would say doing something good is the same as good works, but the Lord considers works done by the hands of the righteous as “good works”. In order for righteousness to be illustrated, we must be righteous to begin with, wouldn’t you say? It’s not about doing something good or not, it’s about the platform doing something good springs from. It’s a matter of the heart, not the action. Our actions don’t make us right with God. Romans 10:9, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Confessing and believing in Christ gives us the righteous platform we need in order to do good works. People, by themselves, without Christ are not enough, that is why “good people” don’t go to Heaven….there aren’t any. Romans 3:23, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

In our link to God, the cross of Christ, there is hidden Shalom, like a fountain in the eye of the landscape of all who are in the House of the Almighty.” Within the word “good”, there is an arm and hand which sews seed, growing the Kingdom of God, so we all can watch and see it grow and know that the Lord is God. Our good works are an expression of mercy, one of God’s key attributes – our illustrated righteousness is considered foundational “good works” and sets an example by our outward practice.

i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation, brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, believe.bellaillume.com, and Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Let your light shine this week, put your feet in motion, get up from your chair and look for a way to illustrate the good seed God has sown in your hearts. We are to live out an illustrated life of righteousness. Get it in gear, the world is watching so give them something to see…let them see your illustrated righteousness.

Be strong and courageous, take your time and listen for the Lord. Amen.

Why study the Attributes of God? Daniel 11:32 says that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”

Omnipotent

Omnipresent

Omniscient

Immutable

Eternal

Faithfulness

Love

Goodness

Holy

Impartial

Incomprehensible

Infinite

Jealous

Justice

Longsuffering

Mercy

Righteous

Self-existent

Self-sufficient

Sovereign

Transcendent

Truth

Wise

Wrath

Foreknowledge

That is just a few for His attributes are myriad as He is infinite and many faceted. God is infinite in the sense He has no up, down, left, right, front, nor back, six directions all at once, all the time.

Along with these attributes, 7 are immutable (unchanging) characteristics of God: truth; faithfulness; mercy; steadfastness; justice; righteousness; goodness.

There are attributes of God that He does not share with us, they are exclusively His, and His alone. Omnipresence, Omniscience, Omnipotence are 3. Although, in their personal form, as in the attributes of His personality, they are exclusively His, God does give to us a certain sense of participating with Him in being Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent, in that we, as believers can forgive sin which is dealing with someone’s past, or we can speak a prophecy of destiny over someone as God gives it to us, thus dealing with someone’s future.

God’s attributes in us are the core features of His heart which builds us as leaders and His people. His attributes are our defense, they are our calling, they are our strength, and our prayer declaratives. His attributes are what make us to be the people of such exemplary and godly conduct, conversation, and character, that others want to be like us, the exemplary people called Leaders.  Eph5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”  We are more able to deal with sin, not by discovering and handling the attributes of sin and iniquity, but by discovering and handling the attributes of God.  Our destiny more readily comes into view when we handle the attributes of God

2Cor10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God”.  Where do we get these highly effective weapons? In the Christ of God, because His attributes ARE the weapons of our warfare!

Through the understanding of God’s attributes, the difficulties of providence (hard questions), which seem otherwise unsearchable, may be somewhat resolved into this—God intends in those hard questions to show himself, to declare His glory, to make himself to be taken notice of. “The fall of man was permitted, and the blindness that followed it, that the works of God might be manifest in opening the eyes of the blind.” (M. Henry)

Of what do we reckon the armor of God is made?  What sort of material is it made of that it would withstand the attacks of the enemy?  The material our armor is made of, i believe, is the very attributes of God Himself!  Eph 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” Eph 6:14 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”

Omnipotent

The quality of being all-powerful, normally understood as the power to perform any action that is logically possible and consistent with God’s essential nature. Omnipotence is one of the traditional attributes of God, exclusive to God, an attribute He does not share, except metaphorically or indirectly.  Omnipotence means God is all powerful and has unlimited authority & influence. He has the ability to do whatever His will dictates as He sees best. Man may have the authority but not the ability to carry through. The term “omnipotence” is not found in scripture but clearly is declared in scripture, Matthew 19:26, Job 42:2.  His unlimited authority & influence is seen in His act of creating, Psalm 33:6, in His relation to man, in His ability to sustain all things, and over satan. Jesus said “All authority  (exousia = authority and power to act) has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Mt 28:18).

Many attempts to analyze this property have been made, centering on the “paradox of the stone”—a vivid illustration of the logical difficulties raised by omnipotence. The paradox of the stone begins with the question “Can God create a stone that he cannot move?” If so, there is something God cannot do (move the stone). But if God cannot create such a stone, then there also appears to be something God cannot do. The source of the paradox is the question as to whether it is possible for an omnipotent being to limit itself. Example of paradoxical questions like “This product is new AND improved!”, or “We need scripted spontaneity!”, or “This sentence is false.”

See Luke 1:37, Jeremiah 32:17,27.

Conclusion:  There is nothing that God cannot do except that which goes against His nature. God alone has the power to conquer sin and death. He even created Satan who disobeyed and fell, therefore, He has power over him. He promised to give us the power to overcome the world.

Omnipresent

The quality of being present at all places—one of the traditional attributes of God. Omnipresence is an attribute which is exclusively God’s, and He does not share, although we do possibly enter in metaphorically or indirectly, this characteristic is exclusive to Him. Those who believe God is independent of or unaffected by time extend this concept and think of God as present at all times. Traditional theists (theist -believer in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race and the cosmos) do not think of God as occupying, or having the character of space at all and therefore do not think of omnipresence as existing or being everywhere at the same time as in His physical presence, but as God’s being present at all places by virtue of His knowledge and power to act. God is aware of what is happening at every place and has the power to act directly at any place.  Which is your view? Does this impact anything we hold as true?

See Psalm 139:8,  Jeremiah 23:23,24.

Conclusion:  There is no place to go where God is not already there.

Omniscient

The quality of being all-knowing. This is one of the traditional attributes of God. Omniscience is usually analyzed as knowing the truth value of every proposition. Controversy has centered around the compatibility of divine foreknowledge with human free will, though many defend the claim that there is no inconsistency. However, some argue that God’s omniscience does not extend to all future actions, either because the propositions about such actions are as yet neither true nor false or else because it is logically impossible to know their truth.

See Isaiah 46:10, Romans 4:17.

Conclusion:  God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen, although His knowing is not His determining.  He knows when we do things for the wrong reasons and when we do things for the right reasons. All things we do should be to serve Him and bring glory to Him.

Immutable

Consider what thou owest to His immutability. Though thou hast changed a thousand times, he has not changed once; though thou hast shifted thy intentions, and thy will, yet he has not once swerved from His eternal purpose, but still has held thee fast. – Charles Spurgeon

The immutability of God means that God is unchanging. More specifically, “God is unchanging in His character, will, and covenant promises. Theologically, immutability is defined as ‘that perfection of God by which He does not change in His being, perfections, purposes, or promises.’  God is a spirit, whose being, wisdom power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth are infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. Those things do not change. A number of Scriptures support this idea (Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Ps. 102:26; Mal. 3:6; 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:17-18;  and Jam. 1:17 “”the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning“).

Conclusion:  When things are going bad I won’t blame God, asking why He has changed and doesn’t seem to be living up to His promises. Since He doesn’t change, I will look at my life and see where I have deviated from the path He wants me to follow. I will change my direction toward the right way and follow Him.

Eternal

Eternal refers to the endless past, the unending future, or to God’s present experience of all time. God has no beginning as man can understand beginning and no ending either, but God exists now and knows both the beginning and the end as we perceive them.

As someone has said “God is the great I Am, not the great I was!” A W Tozer adds that, “In God there is no was or will be, but a continuous and unbroken “is”. In Him History and prophecy are one and the same. Whatever God is He is infinitely.”

The great Puritan writer Stephen Charnock wrote that, “The eternity of God is nothing else but the duration of God, and the duration of God is nothing else but His existence enduring.”

See Isaiah 57:15, I Timothy 1:17.

Conclusion:  God has always existed and He always will. Nothing can resist Him and nothing will ever be able to bring an end to Him.

Faithfulness

Spurgeon: “So great that there has never been an exception. Through the ages, our God has had billions of people to deal with. Yet there does not stand under heaven’s cover, or above the stars, or in hell itself a single soul who can say that God is not absolutely faithful.”

2Tim2:13 “If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.” (Amp)

Heb10:23 “So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.” (Amp)

Conclusion:  Whatever God says He will do, He will do. Therefore, when He says those who believe in Jesus shall have eternal life, you can rest assured that will take place. Just as sure is His providing a way out of temptation, protection from the flaming arrows of the enemy, and Satan’s eventual demise by being thrown into the Lake of Fire forever.

Love

אָהַב, aleph, hey, beit. “Love” is spelled, “הַאָהַב” which is pronounced, “Ahava” and is made up of three basic letters, “אָהַב”.  Aleph, the sound made before a sound is made – intent, “hey”, the letter representing God’s creative power … it is said that the “breath of His mouth” refers to the sound of the letter Hey – the outbreathing of Spirit.  And “beit”, “the House”.

Not only is love giving, but the actual process of giving develops the very connection between the giver and the receiver. God is the source, and not only does He possess it, but He shares it with us, for us to share with others.

Love, therefore, needs to be prevalent in our lives if we are to be called Christians. For how else can love be the greatest of Christian virtues if non-Christians cannot see love being demonstrated in our lives.

Love, the very nature of God, and the greatest of the Christian virtues. Attributes of love include patience, kindness, protection, trusting, hoping, and persevering. Love is not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, a recorder of wrongs or does it take delight in evil.

The theme of the entire Bible is the self-revelation of the God of love.

In the heroes of the faith, love was a passion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, that it was visible in all their actions, spoke in their common talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core and heart of their being; and, therefore, from its own force burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for the glory of King Jesus was the seal and mark of all genuine Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ’s love they dared much, and because of their love to Christ they did much, and it is the same now. The children of God are ruled in their inmost powers by love – the love of Christ constrains them; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them. He has kissed us with the kisses of His mouth, and killed our doubts by the closeness of His embrace. His love has been sweeter than wine to our souls. (C. Spurgeon)

See Romans 8:35-39,  I John 4:12-16.

Conclusion:  God loves us more than we can ever know.  However, His love for us is to fill us so much that it overflows from us to others, so they can begin to know and experience God’s love. Yes, He sent His Son to die for us, but He did so for others as well.

Crown Him With Many Crowns, The Lamb upon His throne.

Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns, all music but its own.

Awake, my soul, and sing, of him who died for thee,

and hail him as thy matchless King, through all eternity.

Goodness

The goodness of God is a life-transforming truth, and is one of His 7 immutable characteristics.  He is Just, but His Goodness makes His Justice, righteous! His “rightness of character” is the source of His goodness. These two hold hands, and we never get one without the other. We cannot be “Good” without being “Righteous”.

“This aspect of God is one of several important features of His character: truth; faithfulness; mercy; steadfastness; justice; righteousness; goodness. The classic text for understanding the significance of this word is Psalm 136 where it is used twenty-six times to proclaim that God’s kindness and love are eternal. The psalmist made it clear that God’s kindness and faithfulness serves as the foundation for His actions and His character: it underlies His goodness (Ps. 136:1); it supports His unchallenged position as God and Lord (Ps. 136:2, 3); it is the basis for His great and wondrous acts in creation (Ps. 136:4-9) and delivering and redeeming His people from Pharaoh and the Red Sea (Ps. 136:10-15); the reason for His guidance in the desert (Ps. 136:16); His gift of the land to Israel and defeat of their enemies (Ps. 136:17-22); His ancient as well as His continuing deliverance of His people (Ps. 136:23-25); His rulership in heaven (Ps. 136:26). The entire span of creation to God’s redemption, preservation, and permanent establishment is touched upon in this psalm. It all happened, is happening, and will continue to happen because of the Lord’s covenant faithfulness and kindness.” The Complete Word Study Dictionary

Our personal goodness is not constant, it appears and leaves as the morning mist even though God desires this from His people more than sacrifices. He is looking for people who have a marked devotion to worship, who would perform deeds of faithfulness, and kindness, the Lord desires people who will maintain covenant loyalty and responsibility so that He can build His righteous community.

          Don’t give up, we’re too close to going home and now is not a good time to quit.

          The news media reports so much discouragement, it’s seems difficult for most to escape the landslide of bad news. Sometimes it just seems there is such a continuous stream of lies and misleading information, more than a few folks have simply turned off the news. i doubt it’s because they’re burying their head in the sand, it’s just they don’t know who to believe anymore nor do they actually know what is true from listening to the present day news services. i think, by far and large, many feel like understated, nameless, mundane employees, bunker dwellers caught in the downward spiral of a collapsing world.

i have a call in my heart today, one that says “Don’t quit”. i know it’s our choice as to whether we keep on with the Lord or not, and i understand well that any of us can give up on our relationships and simply wander off into the wilderness. But we’re so close to the finish line. We are each in this race, we’re on the track. Our feet are moving, we’re in the game and we’re just inches from the finish line and God is bringing resolve near to our hands, and now, at this time, some of us want to quit? Please don’t. God has destiny for you and it’s just inches from your hand, just up around the bend. Keep putting one foot in front of another, keep reading your Bible, keep praying, don’t quit. We’re almost home and this is no time to stop reaching for Jesus.

Sometimes things go wrong, and life seems like an uphill climb, it’s inevitable these things happen to us at some point or another. When our money is low, what we owe is overwhelming; when our loyalties seemed to have become obligations, and our breath seems in short supply; when we feel like life and circumstances have just pressed us down flat, let me encourage you, don’t quit, now is not the time to quit.

In Acts 27:24, Paul recounts a visitation from an angel, “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.” Let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop, be patient, you’ll see, God will turn things around for you. Stand firm and refuse to be moved from your position of faith. Look yourself in the eye, and tell yourself in the mirror every morning, saying, “i will not be moved from trusting God”.

i made an attempt to start a tri-county pastors prayer group once. i knocked on every ecclesiastical door i could find, called anyone in leadership that would pick up the phone, asking them that if there was a pastoral prayer group in the tri-county area, would they be willing to attend? All i met or spoke to said that if such a group were formed they would, indeed, like to attend. Amazingly though, none offered to help, none offered to facilitate, none offered any encouragement. By far and large, they just stared at me or i was met with something akin to white noise. After 2 months of asking, knocking, and chasing the area’s leadership, i became discouraged and went home. i felt worn out by the lack of response. Time went by and i moved away to another town. Many months later i returned to the area to visit friends, and on Sunday i visited a local morning church meeting. At the end, the pastor announced a tri-county pastors prayer group and if anyone was interested they were invited to attend. i was so surprised i almost fell out of the pew. The elderly pastor came back to me, graciously shook my hand, smiled, and said, “You quit too soon. You gave up son. You had everyone’s interest, and your line of questions woke people up and gave them hope for unity and harmony. But you quit before you saw the fruit of your work son, and just went home. Don’t quit, don’t give up.” i openly wept. He paused, his chin trembled slightly and his eyes misted a little, then he said, “You can’t just quit, son. Not now. We’re too close!”.

So i’m sharing with you those same words, Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You can’t just quit. Not now. You’re too close and you’re almost home.”

What do you think?

                 Millions of people, mill around, go to work, talk on their cell phones (or at least pretend to), are married, and have children. Many are living in neighborhoods around the world, communities where everyone is surrounded by everyone else, but still, the affliction of loneliness is astounding.

In 1974, when i was in the Navy, we made a tour of the Mediterranean area, we went to quite a few fascinating places, and spent a lot of time in Naples, Italy. It was a beautiful place with so much history and so many people, but honestly, i was the loneliest guy there ever was. i truly didn’t know how to connect with others. Of course, i had friends, but we didn’t really connect except over drugs or drinking or maybe music, but not much else. Sure, i had parents, brothers, and sisters, but none of us communicated much, if at all. i had no real connection with anyone, but it wasn’t like some older people didn’t try and communicate with me, i mean, in my heart of hearts, there was no connection, no identity, no standard, no special person which i felt could hear me and i could be honest with. i was just a lost person, no purpose, no goal, and no identity. Truthfully, again, i didn’t know how to connect.

i think i was scared a lot. i was afraid that if anyone really knew what i was thinking or how i really felt they wouldn’t want anything to do with me. Besides, the society and culture i had grown up in really encouraged individualism far above being connected to a community of any sort. i was challenged as an individual to excel, to be more than others, to be faster, longer, louder than anyone else, so i, myself would excel as an individual. The idea of “team player” didn’t even enter my mind. i was alone. Stark, cold, minimized and alone and had no clue what to do about it.

A friend of mine and i are presently involved with prison and jail ministry, and one of the consistent threads i find is just plain lonely people. Most are lonely, unconnected, and they are sure no one wants them, not even God. They’ve somehow learned the “rejection lifestyle”. i hope we all realize that people learn that lifestyle from someone. People don’t just grow up knowing how to live a life being rejected and alone. Someone taught it to them. Parents, school, church, friends. It is an unspoken topic we teach: shame and rejection.

When i was a young man, a relative spoke to me one day, sitting on the front porch. He told me of Jesus Christ and the summarized version of the Gospel Story. Interestingly, it all stuck in my head, and years later, after being a drug addict, an alcoholic, and an in-general addict to anything that was addictable, Jesus invited me to join Him in His life. What a wonderful thing God gave me: fellowship.

In my fellowship with God since those early years, God has given me identity, a good identity, one of being honest, diligent, patient, and faithful. i realized that all my life i was taught to not lie, but no one but God taught me how to be honest. At first i was really bad at being anything positive and mature. i never had any of those qualities before. i didn’t even recognize what they looked like. But, since that day i’m not lonely any longer. Fellowship with God brings joy and means we have something in common with Him. Jesus said that where two or more are gathered in His name, He will be amongst them…that is fellowship. From the days in the garden of Eden, it was God’s desire to fellowship with us. i am not lonely any longer because God has chosen me, and i have come to Him by the blood of Christ, i have fellowship with God, i have a standard, a reason, and a rhyme because i have fellowship with God. Fellowship with God is one of the benefits of knowing Jesus, and i can’t think of anyone better to be closer to. C.A. Spurgeon said, “the word “fellowship” not only signifies strict agreement of heart but it implies a carrying out of that strict agreement a little further, in mutual communication.”  In other words, if we talk to God, He will talk to us, and He expects conversation. Wow! Now THAT is amazingly wonderful. The Hebrew language is a language of action, and if i’m alone in my own little world, yet say i’m in fellowship, then, like Kevin says, We can say, say, say, but unless we do, do, do, then we aren’t, aren’t, aren’t.

Jesus, you are the sun of our soul; you are to us the river from whom we drink, the bread of which we eat, the air we breathe; you are the basis of our life and you are the summit of it, you are the brace, the mainstay, the pillar, the beauty, the joy of our being! If we have but you, we can ask nothing besides, for you are all in all, and if we don’t have you, we are miserable, contemptible, and undone. So, then we have fellowship with the Father, because that which is His happiness is most certainly our happiness.

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

We typically think in concepts, and one key concept in scripture today is the idea of what to keep and what to toss out. That may seem like a simple thing, but consider carefully the world of a hoarder. To them, they feel they need to keep everything, so much so, in their world, all of their precious stuff they are so compelled to keep, causes them such misery and sometimes even death. Even in light of that, many of them still choose to keep everything they’ve gathered to themselves, even though they know it’s killing them.

What does God say we should keep, and what should we toss out? Once again, that may seem simple, but all that dividing up can be some very tedious thinking. God’s idea of the word “Keep” is to seize upon and hold tightly, and to guard closely and retain a watch over. Opposingly, the idea of to “cast out” or “NOT keep” is like when God did NOT keep Cain, as in did not retain and closely guard. To NOT keep can also imply to set aside as in retirement.

Similarly, there is a basic difference between those who work for salvation and those who believe God’s promises. If we want to work for our salvation and place in the Kingdom, we will be acting under our own steam, defending ourselves, getting the reward we think we should get, and to those, the Lord does not retain, whereas those who believe His promises, He keeps with all power.
i once moved to a large old house, storing all my oh-so-precious things in an upstairs room. There were old smiles framed in memories of way back when, long grown and gone, only coming to visit now and then. i saved boxes of clothes and books, magazines of styles and new looks, carefully saved, useless, this and that, and left over extra in sealed bags of knick-knacks, all just seemingly so important i just HAD to have them.

Five years later, i had not so much as rummaged through that stuff and wanted to use the room as a spare bedroom. i found myself grieving over the idea of “What if i need such and such?” or, “That was my old jacket from high school, maybe i could use it.” My son shared His wisdom with me in the moment, saying, “Dad, if you haven’t needed it or thought about it in 5 years, chances are very good you can get rid of it and never miss it.”

There are things which are tenative, and things to seize upon and hold tightly, things to guard closely and retain a watch over, as well as others to let go from our grasp and allow to retire altogether. i’m not going to go through a list of things to keep and things to retire, that’s for you to decide. But what i am going to do is talk about what God says is valuable to keep.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, and have mercy on those who doubt. That is keep in the sense of hedge around and guard, protect and attend, attend meaning to nurture, like someone growing a garden. Keep, as in “keep my commandments” comes with the idea to not hedge around and hold captive, but to cultivate, tend carefully, hear the counsel of the Lord and let it change your heart that you would be fruitful and prosperous. i really like that one. It pertains to a man who “keeps a wife”, meaning he should bless her, cultivate and watch over with kindness to cause her to prosper and be fruitful, not fence her in and hold her captive.

Keep the charge of the LORD, actively conducting yourself in His ways, keeping His statutes, in other words “yield and allow His words to persuade your heart”, and in that same sense we keep His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. “Keep” and “keeping”, as in observe and actively guard, with “His ways” as a different word than “His statutes”, as a different word than “His commandments”, as a different word than “His rules” or “His testimonies”. It means to prefer His preferences and standards above our own and you know, you can tell an awful lot about someone by merely observing their preferences. To “keep the charge” is to exercise great care and devotion to what the Lord has asked of you, and let other things fall to a lower level of importance.

We have to keep our body or practice some self-control. Let us keep in step, or march in time with the Holy Spirit. Practice to keep awake with all perseverance, meaning don’t let your eyes get used to the dark. Keep, or in this case, focus your eyes on the Lord and those who are a good example of how to walk uprightly. Let the peace of Christ keep you in perfect tune with God. Keep away, or guard yourself to not frequent the places and people who disrupt the unity of the Body of Christ, 2 Thessalonians 3:6. Keep God’s preferences and standards and walk (or conduct yourself) in a way which doesn’t dishonor yourself or your testimony with “keep” meaning again, to yield and let God’s words persuade your heart. God wants your heart not your rule keeping. Keep, guard and defend your conversation and style from the love of money. Keep God’s prescription for His idea of health and prosperity.

There are many more things to keep as God sees them to be important. What the Lord has to say is far, far more important than what men say. Let me encourage you, you go look it up and find out what to keep and what to let go. Let us unclutter our lives.

i think this next part is so important here it is again. Consider: In Matthew 19:17, Jesus said to “keep the commandments”. i must admit, most folks want to lay severe penalties against others if they’re found not doing the law, but the word Jesus used there really does mean “keep”, but with the implication of not “something to be fenced in” but more “to aim at something” rather than “if you don’t do it to the letter God is going to get you.” It more means “keep” in the sense of a man who grows a garden, cultivates it, fertilizes it and causes it to be fruitful. NOT just do the rules, but allow yourself to be persuaded and yield, and let God’s counsel persuade you and make you to be fruitful. Did you get that? Yield. Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Do we think He’s tricking us or lying somehow? No… never. He would not ask us to do this thing if it were not possible. Selah.

What do you think?

Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

            Isaiah 25:1, “Yahweh, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”

An attribute of God is His faithfulness and if we are His children, firstborn in the Kingdom of God, then we reflect this quality also. We are faithful in friendship, faithful in marriage, faithful in keeping His values…faithful – meaning dependable, reliable, consistent, and repeatable.

When we say God is faithful it means He is totally trustworthy – more exactly, “perfectly faithful”… and of course, most of us probably knew that, but do we really believe that?

The opening scripture, written by the prophet Isaiah, speaks of God not only having made plans in the beginning but He has perfectly accomplished them, just as He said He would. He knew the end from the beginning, so, from the beginning He has declared the end. In all the universe, the Lord is not only the impeccable example of faithfulness, He is the very personification of faithfulness.

When i first moved here, one of the first things the Lord told me was to be consistent and repeatable, be dependable and do what you say…and if i had trouble doing what i said, then promise less and THINK before i opened my mouth that, as a testimony of God’s faithfulness, i would be known as faithful as He is faithful.

Faithfulness is the concept of unfailingly remaining loyal to someone or something and putting that loyalty into consistent practice, regardless of extenuating circumstances. If we’ve promised someone to be somewhere at a certain time, regardless of if something better comes along, we do what we’ve said. If we’ve given our word to our kids to do something and the boss calls, we keep our commitment to the kids… being consistent and repeatable, thereby teaching them by example to be the same. Ultimately, faithfulness applies to God himself with regard to his perpetual love towards his children that is not dependent on their worthiness.

Literally, it is the state of being full of faith in the somewhat archaic sense of steady devotion to a person, thing, or concept. i realize that sounds a little academic, and it is in a way, but truth be known, faithfulness and loyalty speak of the heart and core of God towards us. It is a fruit of righteousness, and if we have believed in Christ to salvation, then we are, indeed, the righteousness of God in Christ, as stated in 2Cor 5:21.

These days, in a world of moveable boundaries, flexible morals, loose ethics, and principles that change colors depending on the backdrop, i believe the fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness, is one of our most excellent testimonies to the greatness of our God.

Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” We need to get that down in our heads, He is faithful! It seems to me that if we, who say we believe, really, truly believed the Lord is faithful, we would most certainly act differently many times.

Having faithfulness as a part of our righteous character…it is visible in our intent or how we lean towards God, and from our intent His goodness flows out onto the world like a wave; His faithfulness in us plants seeds of righteousness and grace everywhere we go. i like the idea of making things beautiful wherever i go…wouldn’t that be wonderful if wherever we went, dead flowers bloomed again and grass grew where there was no grass…all due to the presence of God in us that He would be glorified? It seems to me that is the picture in Isaiah 61:3.

The Lord has a way of pointing out His attributes to unbelievers…whether they see them or not is their choosing, but His illumination is there…and don’t you know, the world takes note of our loyalty to Christ, our dependability, our inclination to be consistent and repeatable, it is light through a prism in the eyes of others. Did you get that? When we are faithful like the Lord is faithful, the world takes note of our loyalty to Christ, our consistent dependability and reliability and it’s like a light through a prism in the eyes of others.

When we claim to be faithful and then our actions reveal our infidelities, with fickle loyalties and a wobbly commitment to the truth, no wonder the ever-watching world has become disillusioned with Christianity.

Faithfulness is related to that of fidelity and several times the original Bible translators interchanged “faithful” with “fidelity”…anytime we see the words, “Hi-fidelity” on a stereo or an album cover, it means it is considered “faithful” to its source… as believers, it is the fruit of righteousness to be “faithful” to our source. Fidelity and faithfulness are the characteristics of the one who can be relied on.

Titus 2:10, “… showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” Paul used the word “adorn” referring to the “garland of grace” we wear, with faithfulness as part of that crown. Our lives are lived in “patterns of grace”, we are crowned with a “garland of grace”, and by the blood of Christ, we are dependable, consistent, and repeatable with hi-fidelity, faithful to our source.

The contrast to fidelity would be “infidelity”. When a business partner has sworn loyalty to the company but shares company secrets and does work secretly for another company…that would be considered “unfaithful”. Loyalty and faithfulness, or “fidelity” is to Godliness, what disloyalty and “infidelity” is to Godlessness. Do we practice “fidelity” to our church brand, or are we faithful to our source? i think… maybe…these days many are more in love with their brand than with the source of their salvation.

We wear our faithfulness as a ring or bracelet, it adorns us like jewels for all to see as a reflection of Jesus in our hearts. Faithfulness isn’t just how you act, it’s more than what you do… it’s our dependable, consistent, and repeatable lifestyle.

Deuteronomy 32:4, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are entirely just, A faithful God without prejudice; He is Righteous and True.”

First, faithfulness applies to God Himself and expresses His total dependability. He is absolutely and entirely believable and trustworthy…He means what He says, and does not waver…His works and His words are inhabited by His faithfulness. Psalm 36:5, “Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” His reliability and steadfastness also describe His works… Psalm 33:4, “For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.”

Second, it applies to us, His people, and is characteristic of those made right in God’s sight. i believe, seeing as how we are the righteousness of God in Christ, we should be, among all people in the world, the most believable, and most trustworthy… keeping our word with unwavering integrity…as He is, so are we in this world.

Proverbs 12:22 “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD: but they that deal faithfully are his delight.” That scripture brings up a point: If you’ve got something good at home, you are greatly blessed and God delights in your faithfulness… keep what you’ve got and don’t be a relational vagrant or emotionally vacant, in fact, do everything you can to not even entertain the dream of being with someone else or being somewhere else.

This next part is important so listen up: The grass IS NOT greener on the other side, it’s green where you water it! 

The gardens that grow the best flowers and vegetables are the ones someone has diligently and faithfully tended. When we leave this earth, everyone will look back and want to know they did the best they could with what they had as best they knew how. In a beautiful, well-watered, green garden, the weeds are pulled, the soil is turned, the dead flowers are removed… it is fertilized and watered regularly. Someone invested time and effort to make it beautiful.

i want to say it again: The grass IS NOT greener on the other side, it’s greener where you water it.

There is never a good excuse for a lack of faithfulness to righteous things, even if we’re constantly surrounded by temptation. Temptation isn’t the problem, it’s a heart problem.

Take it from a man with personal experience: If you’re in a relationship that’s a secret, something is wrong. If you have to sneak to do it, lie to cover it up or delete it to keep it from being seen, something is wrong. Oh man, do we need to get that. Here it is again: If you’re in a relationship that’s a secret, something is wrong. If you have to sneak to do it, lie to cover it up or delete it to keep it from being seen, something is wrong. We should be faithful to investigate and resolve our internal conflict. You may think, “I’ll never get caught.”…well…be wise and think again, secrets have a way of not remaining secret.

If we say things to others that are hurtful and not quite truthful… when they protest our words and we say, “Oh, i don’t remember saying that,” making ourselves not responsible, that is not being a faithful friend. It just seems to be an awfully convenient thing to say in order to avoid our own liabilities and disloyalties. We are not only faithful to keep the word of the Lord, but we should also be faithful to be responsible for our own words and actions.

Faithfulness doesn’t need to sneak, lie, cover-up, or delete, and if you’re tempted, stop standing there like some impervious soldier bravely facing into the wind. We don’t have to keep standing there letting temptation dictate how we act and what we do. Most temptation is avoidable if we’re interested and we only need to weather the storm. Remember that scripture about ‘resisting the devil and he’ll flee from you? Yea, it really does work you know… it’s the truth. When we’re in the valley of the shadow of death, it is only a shadow to us who are believers. What are we willing to leave behind of ourselves so that we would not sin against God?

Joseph was faithful to God and when temptation pounded on his door, like the wise and faithful man he was, he ran away leaving his, probably, very expensive garment in her hands.

i knew a guy who went to prison for 5 years which served to help him get over his addiction to drugs, gambling, and thievery. While in prison he met the Lord which turned his head and heart around. At about the same time, the enemy started sending temptation after temptation to try and cut his feet out from under him, but he was determined to face into the wind, weathering the storm. He told me that one day he couldn’t take the pressure anymore and cried out to God, “Lord, please take the seemingly endless line of temptation out from in front of me!” The Lord instantly replied, “You don’t have to keep standing there where you can be tempted. Temptation has no more power over you other than what you allow.”

         Hab 2:4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness”

i meet so many people who are or have been incarcerated. They often tell me they want help finding a job, getting some identification, or a place to live… they want help getting free of their bad habits and addictions, and there’s always the sincere presentation that they want to know Jesus above all things…they want to come to Bible study and church, and they are always just so believable in the moment. From years of practice, true though, some are straight up, but many are good at appearing faithful and sincere. Over the years, i’ve come to call their intentions not exactly the truth, but the “momentary truth”…meaning, in the moment, in the “now”, they mean what they say and it’s true at this juncture of time. But, for many, what is true today, may not necessarily be true tomorrow. Most of them are well-meaning “in the moment”, but rarely do i find one who, straightforwardly and plainly just shows up, and is faithful to continue showing up.

i read somewhere that 80% of success is being faithful to simply show up. i think so many folks are often just sad, or defeated within themselves, so much so that they think there’s no point in showing up. Being faithful is showing up regardless of what we think the outcome might be. If you have a job interview and you think there is no chance of getting the job, be faithful to the Lord and show up for the interview…you never know what will happen. If you tell someone you’ll meet them for coffee, be faithful to your word and show up, and if you can’t, call as soon as you know you’re not going to make it. It is courteous, considerate, and it is being faithful to your word as God is faithful to His word. Because He keeps His word, we are empowered to keep our word.

On a side note, if a man is only as good as his word, what does it say of him if his words are profanity, accusing, and complaining, casting shadows, or slandering others? What do you think that speaks of him? That person may say, “Well, i’m just getting at the truth, and the world around me has lied to me”, while they’re busy cutting the legs out from under everyone around them. What does that say of him? Can it more be an attitude of, “i’m hurt and i’m gonna make you all pay!”

i believe a man’s word is no better than the man behind it and a faithful man keeps his word. It’s better to not give someone your word knowing it will hurt their feelings than to make them happy with promises and not follow through. Take it from me, years ago i used to be an old mr. go-along-to-get-along and i’d make a commitment in hopes someone would like me in the moment. Promising to be faithful and then not following through is giving someone false hope…and friends, false hope is far more cruel than the truth ever thought of being. Oh man, say that again – false hope is far more cruel than the truth ever thought of being. Numbers 32:24, “Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.”

Jesus was the pinnacle of faithfulness and we would be just flat-out egotistical to think we could become like Jesus merely by trying. True, there is something to be said for making an effort and endurance, of course, but by our own effort, we’ll never be like Jesus. We cannot succeed on our own… ain’t nobody smart enough to run their own life. In light of that, even so, each true believer does have the potential to behave as Jesus behaved because each Christian has within them God’s Holy Spirit. Now you may not believe there is such a person as the Holy Spirit. Ok, you do what you like, but i’m a witness and i’ve seen His presence like a heavy wind moves the tree tops. At one time, you said, “Lord show me these Holy Spirit people who are like the people in Acts 2, and He did. Now years later, you are questioning if the Holy Spirit is someone or something which was invented? Ok…you do what you want, but it doesn’t change anything.

1 Cor3:16, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”.

We can each be faithful to our calling because the Lord lives in us and empowers us to accomplish His will. The Lord empowers us to have self-control, gentleness, and to be faithful…without Him in our lives, we would not have these character traits. C’mon church…stand up…we can do this!

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit, it is one of the fruits of righteousness, and yes, i’m speaking about our character.

The world around us seems to not mind too much if they are faithful or not, but i do believe that most folks probably mean well, but often, if they fail in faithfulness they take a posture of indifference. For me, i don’t believe it…i think most people truly do care if they are faithful and their posture of indifference or deflecting, saying that others do the same thing, is simply a defense mechanism for dealing with pain.

The problem with adopting a posture of indifference and deflecting is…the longer we practice those things, the better we get at doing them…and the better we get at doing them, the more we become indifferent for real. Indifference seems to easily fall prey to blind loyalty in an effort, maybe, to at least stand for something. !BUT…

And you’ve gotta get this: Being faithful to God’s values does not mean blind loyalty to men…blind loyalty is not loyalty no more than peace at any cost is peace. There’s another one worthy to say and say again that you would hear and hear again: Being faithful to God’s values does not mean blind loyalty to men…blind loyalty is not loyalty no more than peace at any cost is peace. i think too many, these days, are more loyal to and in love with their brand, rather than being true to their source… their brand being their denomination, church leadership, or even political party. Of course, their brand may BE their source, and in that case, things are certainly a dead end in the end.

Do we think the enemy of our soul cares what we do as long as we are not being faithful to God’s values? Alexander the Great said, “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” Having the righteous fruit of faithfulness in our lives means we are faithful to the Lion of Judah, we are sheep led by a lion. We can not be blindly loyal to our church denomination and still be faithful to God… at some point, i guarantee, our blind loyalties will cause us to compromise our God values. Being faithful means we are conscious and responsible for our actions, thinking and careful about what we commit to. If we say to ourselves that we are “too busy” to think about being consciously responsible…remember…if you’re too busy, you’re the one who said ‘yes’. T.D. Jakes said, “It is your life, you are the one writing the composition, and if you don’t like the way the script is turning out, through Christ, you have the power to change the storyline.” Big think about it on that one!

Our fully awake, carefully committed faithfulness to God is a testimony to the world which arouses faith in others… it is not always easy to find people who do what they say and say what they do, and if they find they are having trouble being faithful to their commitments, they have learned to promise less and be more committed to the things they’re loyal to. It is better to be faithful in a few things than to sound good by promising a lot and failing to follow through. Take the story of faithfulness and loyalty in Luke 19 where the big boss was going on a trip and left money for his servants to invest. When he got back he asked them how their investing went and the very first person whose reply is recorded in scripture said he invested a small amount and got back a large amount. To that, the big boss, in vs 17 said, “’Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’”

God gives increased authority and influence to those who are faithful to His values…our gifts don’t govern our character, our righteous character governs the administration of our gifts. Let me say and then say again, so hear and then hear again: our gifts don’t govern our character, our righteous character governs the administration of our gifts. 

Among the fruits of the Spirit, as listed in Galatians5:22-23, faithfulness is very close to God’s heart, it speaks of His Che’sed, His loyalty and commitment to all He says and does, to His love and purposes for the blessing and benefit of His people. Jesus went to the cross because He was faithful to His word. Jesus rose from the dead because the Father was faithful to resurrect the Son. Jesus is glorified because the Holy Spirit is faithful to point Him out. The Lord is not “God of the final hour”, He is always right on time, just as He said…He is faithful, and because He is faithful, we can be faithful, to the end and beyond. Amen and think about it.

According to Proverbs 20:6, those who are faithful…loyal, dependable, consistent and repeatable are difficult to find and a real treasure when found. “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”

We are to be faithful to follow Jesus. We can’t just keep on doing the same old things we’ve always done…we have to change. Not to be repetitive, but, How many people have lost sight of Jesus all because they’ve been loyal to their brand rather than following the Lord?… as He changes direction, we too must change. We have to look to Christ, not to our traditions. He may want us to do the same things for a long time, and they may become traditional to us, but we can never let those traditions become more central to us than God is, nor let them become so important to us that we can’t hear him saying, “It’s time to change.”

When Israel was in the wilderness, they had to listen to what God was saying. They didn’t go to Canaan by the quickest highway, because first they had to learn to trust God, and learning to trust God is learning to be faithful. When Christ calls us to follow him, we need to follow. We can’t just pick our own path — and we can’t even stay on the first path he puts us on…we have to continue to follow him. We must let him change us as is necessary.

Psalm 15:1-5, “Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who can enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD, and keep their word even when it hurts.”

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit. It is another evidence of God’s presence in us. Let the Lord teach you to trust Him, you are indeed a gleaming gem in Christ, faithful, gentle, and a diligent possessor of self-control.