ME-ssentials – Day Six – Faithful
ESSENTIALS for Me to Be
FAITHFUL: an original; true to one’s word or promise; steady; reliable; devoted
September 6th, 2021
What’s your ESSENTIAL?
Essential: absolutely necessary; indispensable; the essence of a thing; inherent and intrinsic, vital
2 Timothy 2:13, ‘But even if we are faithless, He will still be full of faith, for He never wavers in His faithfulness to us!’ (TPT)
Yesterday we learned about the essence of being faith-filled; yet it reminded me how essential for me to be faithful also. I am prompted though to realize, apart from Christ, I cannot be fully faithful. It’s an inherent piece of our nature to always protect ourselves over anyone or anything else. God is the only immutable Being able to be entirely faithful. In my opinion, it is not a quality humanity can possess apart from Him.
God cannot deny Himself. His promises to mankind swing on hinges of grace and faithfulness. Even when we break every word yet to ourselves, to those we love, He still remains immovable in His constancy and allegiance to His children. How do we then choose a remnant of faithfulness? Since we are made in the image of Christ, I believe we can embrace faithfulness, adopt its characteristics for ourselves, but I think we first have to be obedient and die to oneself, in order for me to elect someone else rather than myself. Our worldly nature screams ‘Pick me! Pick me!’, but when dressed in the nature of Jesus, we learn to foster others above ourselves. He chose me even to the end, to His death on a cross, so that I might live. That is the ultimate example of faithfulness, showing up, taking the fall for someone else, paying someone else’s penalty, covering the ransom when there was no payoff to the One Who paid the debt. It is elective, but possible, to step up to the plate for someone we know and love, but to do so for a broken and messed up person who offers no gain to us—now, that’s highly unlikely.
I am unable to be faithful in my own strength. I know; I have tried and failed miserably. I hurt others, loved ones, in the process of my poor attempts. I am grateful to God that I am learning at this late date in my life, that apart from Him, I am selfish, unreliable and unsteady, and my allegiance often falls to my self. In my pursuit of Jesus, however, He is teaching me the exclusivity of His faithfulness, and mine. Better late than never!
