We commonly speak of faithfulness as loyalty or allegiance. But as you look deeper at this word, you see the root word in faithfulness is "faith." Spiritually, the word means being full of faith. If you read chapter 11 in Hebrews, you will see a thread running through it: "By faith." Hebrews lists great deeds of faith by the ancient patriarchs.
Hebrews chapter 11 says, Noah, "built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before." Later, Hebrews says, "It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep His promise..." to provide an heir because he considered God faithful.
The most serious challenge to Abraham's trust came when God asked him to sacrifice his own son. Strengthened by his prior experiences with God's faithfulness to His promises, Abraham bound Isaac and placed him on an altar, lifting the knife. That is when God provided the ram in the thicket as a substitute for Isaac. Abraham believed that when God said that He would provide a physical line through Isaac, God would fulfill that promise – even if it meant raising Isaac from the dead.
In the experience of the patriarchs, God did not exist in a vacuum. Their faith flowered into heroic deeds because they trusted in an absolutely faithful God. Their God was faithful down to the smallest detail.
Your View of God Really Matters ...
If you really believed that God was completely faithful to keep His promises, what would you do differently today? Or, if you wanted to find out if God was completely trustworthy, how would you try to do that? Today, take the next step in learning to trust a faithful God.
Learn more about God’s character at Discover God, by Bright Media Foundation, an affiliate of Cru.
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