The Faithfulness of Christ
Week Seventeen
April 20, 2025
“... we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ …”
— Galatians 2:16 (NET)
Jesus loves his own and he loves them to the end. That’s just who he is: faithful. There is no turning or changing or shifting shadows with him. Unlike the course of the sun rising to bring light and leaving darkness when it sets, he remains the same — unvarying, constant light and abundant life. He is ever-present and comfortingly consistent. Great is his faithfulness. You can rely on him. Always. Did you see the period after always? Yes, always, period.
But what about us? We are fragile, if we’re honest enough to admit it, aren’t we? Our days are weaved with weakness. Yet we are not counted alone with our frail frames. Many of the people that found their lives woven into the fabric of scripture were weak. David, Peter, Elijah, yes, even John the Baptist. They all experienced doubt, depression, emotional flare ups, and moral failure. These were men with a nature like ours. These were men with a faith that came to rest not in themselves or anything they had or did, but in God.
There’s a subtle difference between faith in God and faith in our faith. A chair holds our weight not because we believe it will but because it is able to. It is strong enough to bear us. We sit in the chair because we believe it will bear our weight, and so it does. Faith allows us the freedom to sit. Yes, this can be a somewhat of an enigma at times, but our God tends to move in a mysterious way, doesn’t he? And the gifts he gives are often wrapped in mystery as well.
It is vital to remember that we come not to a religion, but to a person, to Jesus Christ, the one who lived in perfect obedience, the one who will never cast us out. From start to finish, he lived a life of faithfulness. When we fix our eyes on him and clinch doggedly to his promises, trusting in his faithfulness, we are fighting the good fight of faith. This is the stuff of heroes, heroes like you and like me. Remember, God employs the weak and fulfills his plan through the “less than perfect”.
Reasons to doubt will come — they did to Abraham the father of the faithful. Yet he did not let those doubts cause him to move off of the promises of God. You’re cut from the same cloth. Hold on to this: your faith is in the faithful one. No matter how dark the night or somber your soul, you can rest in the faithfulness of your Savior.
Monday
April 21, 2025
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
— Psalm 143:8 (NIV)
Psalm 143 is a powerful reminder for us to be single-hearted in our trust; it is an encouragement to lean the full weight of our reliance on his faithfulness and righteousness. Good investment advice might say to diversify, but in this Psalm, we see David putting all his eggs in one basket. His heart was unified in its commitment to trust God alone. As we follow David’s example, we can expect unfailing love and wise direction from God, our Father.
Do you find that you have “backup plans” in your walk? Do you ever feel the need to “help” God out with his plans for your life?
What do you tend to do when God is moving slower than your timeline is dictating? Do you ever find yourself trying to speed things up?
Tuesday
April 22, 2025
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
— John 13:1 (NIV)
John Bunyan wrote that Jesus’ love for us is, “to the end of their lives, to the end of their sins, to the end of their temptations, to the end of their fears.” ¹ The Lord embraces us as his own and his commitment to us is to love us to the very end. Maybe that doesn’t describe your experience with love. Maybe love has been represented to you as explosive or fragile or short lived. Let this truth bring you assurance: Christ’s love is beyond any earthly love you have known.
How would you describe “enduring love”? What are its most significant qualities?
What is Jesus up to now in heaven? In what ways is he still present with you even though he resides in heaven?
Wednesday
April 23, 2025
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
— James 1:17 (ESV)
I’ve lived in the northeast for most of my life. We have a saying up here that goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.” It could be fifty degrees and raining one day and then twenty degrees and snowing the next. But God’s promises are not like that, and neither is his faithfulness. His truth persists. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The faith you’ve been given is a good gift; it comes from your Father, an immutable God.
What good and perfect gifts has God given you? How do you treasure those gifts?
How do light and truth relate to one another? Why do you think it is significant that God is called the Father of lights?
Thursday
April 24, 2025
In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
— 2 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)
Life and death are not in our hands; we don’t control them. This may bring us distress and cause us to feel despondent. But that can be a good thing — if our souls emerge from the dark cavern of despair knowing that God, who raises the dead, is the only one worthy of our full trust. We can rely on Jesus completely. He is the man in the fiery furnace of trial, the ark of safety on the sea of trouble. And in the end, he is the firm hand that will lead us into glory.
What are some of your favorite promises from God regarding eternal life? (see John 14:1-3). How do these promises make you feel knowing that God will be faithful to keep them?
Have you ever experienced a time of deep darkness that you had no control over? What did you learn from that experience?
Friday
April 25, 2025
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.
— 2 Timothy 2:13 (AMPC)
There are times we soar like an eagle, our faith being lived out brilliantly. And there are times we plunge, sitting in the dark room of despair with curtains closed. We have lapses. Peter did and he needed a rebuke from Paul. John the Baptist questioned if Jesus was the one and needed encouragement in prison. Even Elijah felt loneliness and discouragement but was braced up by the Lord himself. In the awareness of your failures, hold on to him and trust that his faithfulness endures all the seasons of your life, even to the very end.
What does holding on to Jesus look like to you? How does this promise in 2 Timothy and God’s process of sanctification work together in your life?
Rate your level of confidence in God’s faithfulness versus your level of confidence in self-effort. What might help grow your confidence in his faithfulness? What should you avoid that could decrease it?