God's Faithfulness

GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

Today is Mother's Day. Take some time today to honor that special Mother in your life!!!

“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

One of the blessed characteristics or attributes of God is His faithfulness. Both Old and New Testament passages affirm this truth (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:9; Lamentations 3:22-23; 1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13; etc.). Our theme text combines this fact with the truth of God’s effective call of believers. It declares that, having called a person to trust Him, this trust would not be in vain because He is absolutely trustworthy and dependable. The present tense is used with the word calls indicating that this is a process which is ongoing. It can be understood to indicate that God has been calling people through the ages. The believers in Thessalonica were respondents to His call.

What these folks needed was the assurance that the One who called could be depended on to do that which was prayed for in verse 23 – preserve them blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note, he didn’t prayer that they would be sinless but blameless. In other words, Paul knew that sin is always likely but blame was dealt with at the cross.

The final clause of verse 24 provides the key to the effectiveness of God’s call. He not only calls but He completes His purpose. The promise is given, “who also will do it.” Two verses from Philippians present this truth. “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). And, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

We must acknowledge that we cannot live the Christian life. God has known this all along, and therefore He places the responsibility on Himself, working in us the desiring and the doing of His good pleasure. You can trust Him to live His kind of life through you. -- Pastor William A. Raws

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 10; 2 Kings 10-12; John 1:29-51

Great Quote: The good news of the gospel is not that God will provide a way to make life easier. The good news of the gospel, for this life, is that He will make our lives better. We will be empowered to draw close to God and to love others well and to do both for one central purpose, to glorify God, to make Him look good to any who watch us live.” Larry Crabb, Shattered Dreams