Gentleness: Surrendering Self-Entitlement

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." -Proverbs 15:1

"Let your gentle spirit be known to all men." -Philippians 4:5a

"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom." -James 3:13

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." -James 3:17

I would like to just take some time and re-read all of these verses... Just drink deep of what we are seeing here... Once again we see wisdom and gentleness teaming up together to form a bond of unity in a person's life and in his or her response to others. "A gentle answer turns away wrath..."

For me personally, I have struggled with gentleness... I still struggle with gentleness. My brothers and sisters are a great source of practice for me, but I most often fail in the exercise of love and patience, kindness and gentleness... Why? Because I have not yet learned to completely rely on God, to rest in His promises, and to meditate on them day and night.

If I were more constantly reminded of gentleness, I would be less likely to fly off at the handle when my siblings do something that I don't want them to do. If I was so saturated in the will of God for my life, instead of allowing myself to be distracted by the problems of the here and now, then I would probably be more attentive to my attitude and how I relate to others.

There have been times, in the past few weeks, where I have spent days at a time meditating on kindness, on love, on peace in Christ... and those are the days that have been the most productive in growing in my relationship with God and with others. When I remind myself, throughout the day, that God's desire is for me to be like Christ in everything, then I think and pray constantly for His help in the areas of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I remember the week we were studying kindness... I would go to work in the mornings and begin to pray aloud, as I was working, for God to develop in me character that would glorify Him. During that week I had several opportunities to demonstrate kindness... and I was more aware of other people's needs. He will answer when we call.

So, here's my challenge to you... meditate on gentleness. Where do you struggle the most with being a gentle witness of Christ's influence in your life? Where does your patience meet it's greatest failures? These are the times, the places, where you must be the most intentional about exercising gentleness, patience, peace... Don't let the old sin nature have it's way... you have died to sin... remember? How can we live in it any longer?

I'm afraid I have strayed a bit from my original intention for today's blog, but I want you to understand the importance of not simply hearing what is said about God and then walking away... No, you must actually apply and strive for what is seen in the Scriptures. We are told to bear fruit...

So, getting back to gentleness, I wanted to look at what it means to be gentle in dealing with others, today. More specifically, to be gentle in dealing with adversity...

It's hard, sometimes, to let something go... especially when you feel like someone is being rude just to get on your nerves! Breath deep! Exhale... "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger..." Remember these words when you're tempted to retaliate. I am not very good at applying this to my own life! I think gentleness is one of the areas that I need the most work in. Actually... I'm SURE gentleness is one of the areas I need the most work in!

I had an opportunity, last night, to exercise gentleness and patience with one of my siblings... It was hard! But thanks be to God, because I had spent time meditating on Him and His Word earlier that day, I carefully and calmly addressed the difference of opinion between us and was able to come to an agreement with my brother. The issue? ...not important! haha You thought you were going to get something out of me! The issue was ridiculous, which made it all the more difficult for me to restrain myself from getting angry with my brother. However, God has a very good memory of the things that we pray for and gently reminded me of my request for gentleness in my own life.

Gentleness, for me, has ultimately been a sacrificing of what I feel I am entitled to. If my siblings aren't doing exactly what I would have them to do... gentleness looks something like: Presenting my suggestions in a loving manner and then... stepping back and allowing them to make their own decisions. "But," you might ask, "What about if they are being completely irrational?" Are you being irrational in your expectation of your siblings, wife/husband, or co-workers? Consider their angle on things... Are you just being demanding? If there is a genuine issue, deal with it in patience... it will be hard, but we must not let our tempers win the day.

Some people would say that gentleness is too much like being a push-over. Perhaps, but that's because we live in a world where we have been taught to push and shove our way to the front of the line, to the top of the peak... But I don't see that anywhere in the Scriptures. No, I see Christ, washing His disciple's feet... humbling Himself to the position of a servant... This is our role-model! Here is our King! He has made Himself the lowliest of men... and He has called us to do the same! Push-over? That's only because there are people that are pushing! And understand this about those people... they are pushing to the front because they are searching... they haven't found true purpose in what was right in front of them... This should cause us to pity them! When you are "pushed over" remember that Christ has already been pushed! When you are beaten down, most likely by words, remember that Christ has already been beaten as well... with words, fists, whips...

Friends, modeling Christ looks nothing like the success of the world... it's hard. Gentleness is HARD! But modeling Christ is the greatest thing that we could ever hope to accomplish in this life. It is our calling, it is our duty, it is our greatest joy! Therefore, practice gentleness in all that you do. Be self-giving instead of selfish... and pray for those who are pushing you down... pray that they would come to understand that what they are truly searching for is found only in Jesus Christ. I leave you with these thoughts for today...

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .

Gentleness: An Overview and a Slight Detour!

"What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?" - 1 Corinthians 4:21

"Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." -Galatians 6:1

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." -Ephesians 4:1-3

Gentleness... there are so many things that I want to try and cover in this study! I'm hoping, though, not to cover everything in today's overview, or else I won't have anything to blog about for the rest of the week. So, I'll probably keep today's overview kind of short...

We, as Christians, are called to gentleness. Aggressive behavior does not accomplish anything towards us being peacemakers or effective witnesses to others. Does gentleness mean that we have to be pushovers? No! But it is a denial of self... letting things go... and also not jumping on other people for things.

Ultimately, gentleness is a sister of Wisdom. As believers, we need to pray that God would give us wisdom and tact in situations where we will be addressing issues with other people. Wisdom, because we do not want to appear foolish or hypocritical when we approach someone to give constructive criticism. Which, by the way, is the only kind of criticism that we as believers should give... we should never tear someone down just for the sake of doing so. But when we point out the areas in a person's life that need change, we must also point to the Savior, who is capable of making that change in their lives, and His Word, which holds the instructions and keys for godly behavior. This is gentleness...

So, we want to have wisdom in order to point people in the right direction! And we must also have tact, which is the ability to know when and where to deal with certain issues or situations. Sometimes it is not the best idea to address a situation while it is in mid-motion... catching a fool in his folly, so to speak, can lead to extreme defensiveness on the part of the listener... So, tact is knowing when to address an issue and how to present the problem without being condemning or overly-critical... this is gentleness.

Friends, I'm excited to jump in and study this concept of gentle behavior towards our fellow believers as well as non-believers, but right now... I would like for us to take some time and pray that God would give us Wisdom and Tact. I would ask you, please pray for me, that God would give me wisdom as I search the Scriptures and then relate my findings to you. I would be inexpressibly grateful for your prayers!

Pray for yourselves, as well, that God would give you a heart that desires Him and that glorifies Him through your actions and words. This is what gentleness does, you know... it is a testimony to the power of God in our lives. This is what each of these fruits that we've studied is about! That we might look more like Jesus to those around us! People will be curious about how you have such love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and such self-control in your life... where does it all come from? And there is your opportunity to point them towards the cross... in gentleness, with wisdom and tact!

Friends, may God bless you as you seek Him this day! Until tomorrow...

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .

Faithfulness: It's Hard...

"Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men." -Psalm 12:1

"For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant." -Psalm 78:37

"I have chosen the faithful way;I have placed Your ordinances before me." -Psalm 119:30

"Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,But those who deal faithfully are His delight." -Proverbs 12:22

"The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I have hope in Him.' " -Lamentations 3:22-24

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much." -Luke 16:10

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." -1 Corinthians 10:13


As I think about faithfulness, this morning, I'm nearly overwhelmed by my past dealings in unfaithfulness... I think about how hard it is to actually stick to what you say sometimes! My brother and I volunteered to lead a time of worship, through music, at a camp this past summer... eight weeks of loading and unloading every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night... We said we would do it! It was hard, but we were faithful to our word... but it's not always this way, is it? No, sometimes I allow the difficulty of a situation to overwhelm me, and I slowly-but-surely crumble beneath the load.

Do you feel what I feel: that intense desire to give in at times? To throw in the towel and call it quits?

My faithfulness is weak... and yet, my God has said that no temptation has overtaken me except which are common to man... I'm not recieving any "special temptations." I just let the weight of the moment overwhelm my faith that God can get me through ANY situation... such weakness on my part.

Thankfully, God's faithfulness is not limited to our being faithful to Him, but He is faithful even when we are not! He has promised a way of escape, through the blood of His Son, and we must lean on Him in the times when everything else is crashing down around us.

Just remember... Christ died, once and for all, for the sins of the world. There is no sin that you can commit that has not been covered by the mercy and grace of our Savior's sacrifice. However, we must not continue in our sins! Paul says in Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" It is true that we must not continue in sin, but when you do sin it is also important to confess these sins to God... "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).

Confession of sins is the first step in returning to faithfulness in our relationship with Christ. Of course, confession doesn't mean to simply say, "Yeah, Lord, please forgive me for sinning today..." No! This type of confession is the type that you say, for example, "God, I am a liar! I have sinned against You by not upholding the truth in all that I say and do. Please forgive me, Father. Please help me to stop lying... I want to be a truthful messenger of Your Word!" Get specific between you and God about what sins are affecting your life. Confess your struggles to Him. He is faithful and righteous to forgive you of your sins, but you must first bring them to Him and forsake them at the foot of the cross. Lay your burdens at the feet of Him who has saved you out of your sins... He is faithful, He is loving, He is true to His Word and He will forgive you and make you clean again!

Friends, this is our first step in becoming faithful servants of the Mighty God that we call Father! Faithfulness is not something that we can accomplish through our own efforts, but is cultivated in our relationship with God, through the Holy Spirit, and through Him changing our hearts as we study His Word and draw closer to Him. Only then will we truly understand and desire faithfulness.

So, take some time, today, to get right with the God of the Universe! Don't spend another day in unfaithfulness towards the God who has been faithful to you since before you were born! Reconcile yourself to Him, at the foot of the cross. Don't waste another minute in complacency. Become the Spirit-filled, fruit-bearing witness of Christ's saving grace that you were meant to be! Be faithful men and women, clinging to the Word of God as your guide to all faithfulness and righteousness.

Friends, I hope this week has blessed you, challenged you, and convicted you as much as it has me! I now see many more ways in which I need to grow! And with the help of God I will grow! Have a great weekend, and live in the faithfulness of God's Word!

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .

Faithfulness: Some Thoughts

"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself..." -Ephesians 5:22-28

"I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church." -3John 1:4-6a

"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." -Revelation 2:10

"These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." -Revelation 17:14

I want to take a slightly different direction than the one we've been on the past two days. We've looked at God's faithfulness to us, even in our unfaithfulness, and we've looked at how we should respond to Him. Now I would like to shift gears and focus on our faithfulness to others.

Our witness to others is going to be heavily affected by our faithfulness to our words and convictions. It is so damaging to a person's reputation when they say one thing and do another... not only is it damaging to that person's reputation, but if they are claiming the name of Christ then they are damaging the other person's view of Christianity. People will often say, "Yeah, I know some people who are Christians... they aren't any different than me." Or I've even heard, "Yeah, those Christians are more messed up and more evil than I am!"

Human beings tend to judge their spiritual standings based on works... they are stuck in the Law and are not living under the Grace of God. However, they do have one thing right... our actions speak volumes about us. When we say we love God and that we are Christians, and then we do things that are completely contrary the commands of Scripture... what messed up message are we giving to our unsaved friends and co-workers?

Not only actions, but also our words condemn us! We say we love God, but then we spout off problems in our marriages or problems with brothers and sisters, parents, teachers or whatever the case may be. We act more frustrated, more angry, less self-controlled and all around crazy! For example:

I have a friend who is a walking contradiction! She will say one thing to me, about loving God and God loving her, and then the next minute I hear her telling someone all about feng shui and harmony with nature! She talks about going to church and learning about God, and then I hear her yelling on the phone and cursing to whomever is on the other end of the line...

My friend's case may seem to be one of extreme measures, but I think we are all capable of such bold contradictions. If you claim to be different than others because of what Christ has done in your life, then people are going to watch you, carefully, and see what it is that is different about you. Most of time, unfortunately, they end up saying, "I thought so..." Why? Why can't we be men and women of our word?

Here's the point! Hang with me! I took a long time getting here, but now we're getting to the point, so hang with me a little while longer...

We are not faithful witnesses, because we still look and act just like the world... we get frustrated with our marriages, so we give up... we get frustrated with our children's behavior, so we let them go their own ways... WE DON'T LOOK ANY DIFFERENT!!! We blow up when things don't go according to plan, we fall apart! We aren't faithful...

Friends, here is the point... in order to ever be effective witnesses to others, not to mention in order to be faithful followers of Christ, we must live our lives as people that are set apart... people that are different! We must hold STRONGLY to the commands of Scripture! We must persevere! When things get tough, we have to lean heavily on our Saviors arm, but we cannot give in and become like the rest of the world or we will lose our effectiveness as witnesses for the kingdom of Christ. If we fall apart, they will see us as being no different from anyone else and say, "It's not worth it to live like that... they do the same things I do anyways!"

Let me tell you something! Church is a waste of time on a Sunday afternoon, IF we are not going to be changed by what we hear, and are not going to make a difference for the cause of Christ. That's what faithfulness is... it's being changed by what you hear and then remaining changed and not reverting back to your old ways. Faithfulness says, "I have come this far, by the Grace of God, and I'm never going back!!!"

Faithfulness says, "I said that I would be with you until the day I die, and I meant it! I might not always feel like I love you, but that's not what matters. What matters is that this is a God-ordained union and I'm going to stand by you, with the help of our Savior, and we're going to make it through this struggle together!"

Friends, this is what the world will see and what will cause them to wonder! This is where heart-change takes place in the lives of our unsaved friends! When they see the unmistakable difference in our lives, and hear our mouths proclaim the name of Christ! Faithfulness is the difference between us and the world around us. This is where we make our stand!

I urge you, therefore, to examine the areas of your life which are lacking in faithfulness... Begin with your faithfulness to time spent alone with God. How faithful are you in your time spent with God? And I don't mean going to church on a Sunday morning...

How faithful are you towards your husband or wife? Are you tempted to "make casual conversation" with someone at work because things aren't going so well at home. Don't be fooled! This path is never the one that God would have us to take! I don't care what you think about how this person or that person makes you feel! It's all a lie and, when everything comes crashing down, it may be too late for you to ever restore your relationship with your spouse. Be faithful to the one that God has given you! Even when love seems scarce, remain faithfully devoted to one another. This is a God-honoring marriage... the one that goes through the rocky parts of life and comes out refined and stronger than it was before! This is the faithfulness that will cause others who witness your struggles to scratch their heads and ask, "What do you have that I don't? Why couldn't I persevere through the same struggles?" This is your opportunity to preach what you practice... which is exactly the order in which we should do things!

I could go on and on about all of the areas in which we should be faithful to our families or to our word, but I don't want to generate a list... that is not my intention. I do not want you to think that faithfulness is limited to a list that I give you, but I would rather that you examine yourself and your individual circumstances to determine what areas you need to work on faithfulness in.

That being said, I will leave you to meditate on what I've said this morning. Re-read the verses I put at the top of today's blog... find more verses that speak on faithfulness... Do whatever it takes to get right with God and to start being a faithful servant of the Word. This is what I'm going to do... I pray and plead with you to join me.

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .

Faithfulness: Our Response to a Faithful God

"Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be,For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men." -Psalm 12:1

"That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God." -Psalm 78:7-8

"My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me." -Psalm 101:6

"Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law. I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me." -Psalm 119:29-30

"I have chosen the faithful way!" This should be the declaration of all of us who claim to be followers of Christ... there should not be any hesitation. Yesterday we looked at the faithful nature of the unchanging God, who will be faithful for all eternity. He sent His Son to fulfill what was lacking in our faithfulness to Him. The precious blood of Jesus was shed so that our unfaithfulness might be reconciled before God...

So, what is our response to such loving faithfulness? What are we, in turn, going to do in response to this demonstration of unmerited favor? We, as children of God, must commit our lives to the work of the Gospel. We have been commanded to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20).

Here is where faithfulness comes into play... How well do we fulfill this commission that our ever-faithful Savior has required of us? How often are we so saturated with the message of Christ that we can't help but spill it over into our conversations at work, or with our lost friends on the weekends?

This is just the tip of the mountain that we call "faithfulness." Look at what we have been saved out of... we were saved from our sins and eternal punishment in hell! We were once wretched creatures, without hope, who had no chance for righteousness in our own strength. "But God..." Yes, dear Friends... we were the unrepentant souls, "but God..."

In response to this truth, we must echo what Paul has said in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Our response to Christ's work in our lives MUST be faithfulness.

Have we so delusioned ourselves as to believe that we can be saved by Holy God from the depths of our sins and then go on living in the patterns and ways of this world? No! "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:2b). Remember, we were crucified with Christ, we have died to the old sin-nature!

I have said all of this to make one point... We must become the same faithfulness that we see in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Again, this is not something we can ever hope to attain on our own, but it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. However, we cannot sit back and wait for a bolt of lightening to strike and a loud voice to come from the sky, revealing to us all faithfulness and all knowledge and wisdom. We must begin to pray and act in accordance with the will of God. This is faithfulness... that we would see the commands of God, in His Word, and fulfill them to the very best of our abilities and with every effort we can muster.

Friends, I am not really sure how else to stress the importance of our faithfulness as Christians. Faithfulness looks something like "total devotion in every aspect of your life!" Commitment to being more like Christ... this is faithfulness! There is so much involved in being a faithful follower of Christ... and yet, it is simply: Doing the will of our Father, who is in Heaven.

Faithfulness means that, even when we cannot see clearly what God is going to do, we follow Him without question or hesitation. This is a lot to ask of a human being, living in 21st century America, brought up in a culture that says that everything we believe must be supported by facts and hard evidence in order for us to accept it. We are taught, by our society, to look at all of the evidence before we take our first step... Christ says "follow Me!"

Friends, it is hard to be completely faithful, in every circumstance, to a God who asks us to trust Him... but has He ever given us a reason to doubt His ability to take care of us? Look at the track-record of our God... Faithfulness it the theme of the Old Testament, even in light of the unfaithfulness of His people! The ultimate end of His faithfulness being brought to completion in the work of Christ on the cross. This work completed the faithfulness that God promised all throughout the history of the Old Testament. And it is still the completed work of His faithfulness to us!

Trust God! And from that trust, become a faithful servant of His will. Faithfully witness, to those around you, of the love and mercy of our God. Faithfully lead your families in the study of His Word. Faithfully hold to the commands of the Scriptures. Do not waver, do not falter... but if you do, confess your sins before God and His faithfulness will once again restore your relationship with Him. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

I'm afraid that's all I have for you today. I hope this hasn't been too confusing, and hopefully it has encouraged you to be a faithful witness for Christ. I'm afraid that I am sorely lacking of a deep understanding of faithfulness... but that's what this study (or in today's case, more like ramblings) is all about!

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .

The Faithfulness of Our God

"The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He." -Deuteronomy 32:4

"For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness." -Psalm 33:4

Our God is the faithful and immutable Creator, who sets us apart and calls us by name! His faithfulness to us cannot be broken by anything. When we stray from the upright path He pursues us... when we fall down He picks us up! When we are unlovable, by those around us, He loves us with an everlasting love. This love is the result of Christ's finished work on the cross...

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He died for our sins once and for all. Because of His faithful sacrifice on the cross, God is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him... However, this does not mean that we can live in unrepentant sin and ignore the commands of our God. Anyone who calls themselves a Christian and yet bears no fruit... we have already referenced this issue once before... " 'Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away..." (John 15:2). This is not a "time-out" kind of taking away either. This is complete separation from Christ as the life-giving vine. However, if you have the fruit of Christ in your life, you will not be removed from the vine, but will be pruned so that you become more fruitful. This is again the faithfulness of our God!

God is faithful to prune and grow us, as Christians, and to develop in us a love for Him and the things that are of Him. He has called us His children and, as our Heavenly Father, He is faithful to fulfill His role as our loving and caring Father... stern, but loving, in all things! He is faithful to address and correct the behavior in our lives that is detrimental to us and to cultivate, in its place, the fruit of the Spirit.

We are told that we must, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21). These two verses speak heavily of the faithfulness of our God, but also of our faithfulness to the work of Christ... you see, we must ask, seek, and knock with a God-glorifying goal in mind. This is what it means to have your treasures where your heart is... we must treasure Christ so much that our requests to God are made in an attempt to bring more glory to Him! He is not obligated to fulfill our every desire simply because we ask Him for something.

We will look more into our faithfulness, as a response to God's faithfulness, tomorrow. For now, I would like us to meditate on the faithfulness of God in light of our unfaithfulness as sinful human beings... God does not call us to Himself because we are good people, or because we have never sinned. No, He calls us to Himself because He is God! There is no other explanation that I can give to the faithfulness of God! He calls us, the depraved sinner, and saves us out of eternal punishment. Our wretched souls do not deserve this favor, but God saves us anyways.... look at Ephesians 2:1-10 "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

I love this passage... "But God..." What an amazing truth! "But God" loved us so much that He gave Himself up for us... such love and faithfulness to a people so undeserving of any favor! "But God" pursues us, "even when we were dead in our transgressions," and shows us forgiveness through His Son.... this is a humbling truth to digest. That God would love us so much, when we have done nothing to deserve it... this is the level of faithfulness that our God shows to us!

Friends, take this day to thank God and praise Him for His faithfulness to you. Think about what your life would be without His love and grace...
Perhaps you do not understand what I am talking about... perhaps you've never experienced what it means to have a relationship with God... If so, I would ask that you find someone to talk to who can help answer any questions you might have about this love and faithfulness that is never-ending! You are free to e-mail me with any questions you might have... afflquestions@yahoo.com . But I would encourage you to find a local pastor or trusted friend who can help you search the Scriptures and help you understand what you must do, in response to the love and faithfulness of God. Search your heart... you know that faithfulness is something that you greatly desire! We are a people who are tired of lies and deceit... we want truth! Truth is found within the pages of God's Word! Search it! Seek and you WILL find!

Friends, rest in the faithfulness of our God! Thank Him for His never-ending love and mercy upon your life! And ask God to prepare your hearts for what we must do in response to His faithfulness towards us. We will begin looking at our response to God's faithfulness, tomorrow.

Grace and Peace!


Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .

Faithfulness: An Overview

"The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He." -Deuteronomy 32:4

"Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens,Your faithfulness reaches to the skies." -Psalm 36:5

Faithfulness... what a wonderful, and yet scarce, quality! Our society today is all about loopholes and excuses...

Friends, it's time that we, as Christians, rise up and become people of our word! I am saddened to think that the divorce rate is equal, if not higher, among self-proclaiming Christians as it is among those who hold no claims to faith. What has happened to " 'Til death do us part" ??? Why can we no longer be faithful to our word? Because... it is easier to find excuses or "reasons" why not to persevere through the harder things that life brings!

What have we become? It used to be that a handshake would seal a deal between to parties, but now everything is in writing... we are no longer people of our word!

Thanks be to God, that He is immutable... never changing! He is the same today and tomorrow and forever! His promises from His Word will never become void! He does not change His mind, but is faithful... even when we are faithless! We have a hope for faithfulness because our God is still faithful to us. We must, in turn, become faithful followers of Christ and, from that, become faithful in all that we say and do.

Integrity really comes into play when you talk about faithfulness. Integrity is doing what you know is right even when nobody else is watching... meaning that you aren't doing the right thing just to be noticed, but because you have faithfulness embedded into you. So, faithfulness must already be a part of your character before you can ever hope to have integrity. You must desire faithfulness above an easier alternative.

We must be willing to sacrifice our own comfort in an attempt to be examples to those around us of the faithfulness of our God. We are the visible and tangible evidence of God's work in our lives. Therefore, we must mirror His attributes to those around us. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us..." (2 Corinthians 5:20).

However, as I have said many times before, this is not something that we can achieve on our own. Just as a love that honors and glorifies God must come from God, He must also be the source of our faithfulness. Any attempt at faithfulness, through our own efforts, will only end in failure. It is only through prayer and diligent study of God's Word that we will ever become the faithful children that we are commanded to be.

So, as we delve deeper into this study this week... we must remember to cover all of our efforts in prayer and in God's Word. Memorizing the verses that speak of His faithfulness will help us to remember and be more confident in the faithfulness of our God as well. Do not try to cultivate faithfulness without the help of the Holy Spirit.

Friends, let us be faithful to our God, this week, and remember that "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17). Ask God to give you the desire for faithfulness, to persevere when things aren't easy. I anticipate this being a very rewarding and very interesting week of study... I hope you will continue to join me in this endeavor for godliness in every aspect of life. Friends, God bless, and I can't wait to take the next step!

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .

P.S. - A special thanks to Abigail Gamm for her input in todays blog! Thanks Abby!