What comes to your mind when you see the word “faithful”?  There must be a giver and there must be a receiver.  When someone said that so and so is unfaithful to his spouse, immediately you are able to pick up something inconsistent in the behaviour of that person who is unfaithful to his spouse.  Just this past week, you would have heard of the improper conduct of someone involved in a relationship that is a betrayal of his own marital relationship.  In contrast, the one who is faithful displays otherwise.  He will demonstrate a behaviour that is consistent and favourable to the one whom he is rightfully related to.  In 2 Timothy 2:13, we can learn something about God and about ourselves.  In this verse, it reveals to us that God is faithful for He cannot deny Himself.  He never will because that will be in contradiction to His character.  So, “to be faithful” is “to be truthful and to be loyal to”.  How about us?  In that same verse, it reveals to us that we can be and are faithless.  The encouraging thing is that if we are faithless, God remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself.  Indeed, I take great comfort and encouragement in knowing and understanding that God is faithful and that nothing can affect Him or defect Him or even distract Him from being so.  God remains faithful even when we are faithless.  In fact, God’s faithfulness has been revealed throughout Scriptures.

God is faithful to His Word.  What He says He will do.  He never contradicts Himself.  God is very consistent, unlike us.  You can completely trust God because He is faithful to His Word.  He will keep to His Word.  He will abide by His Word.  He will not compromise His words.  He never lies because He cannot.   In Numbers 23: 19, we can learn something about God’s character here.  God reveals Himself as God who is not like man who will be subjected to telling lies.  He will not say one thing and then, do another.  He will not change his mind.  He is not flicked-minded like man.  He will do what He says and He will fulfil what He has spoken.

God is faithful to His promises.  What He promises He will keep.  Here is one promise that we are all familiar with.  In 1 John 1:9, we can learn something about God’s response towards our sincere attitude towards sin.  The moment we are ready to confront the sin which we have committed and owned it out before Him, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.  Not only that, God is also faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Yes, God will keep or abide by His promise to us.  God is faithful to His promises.  Isn’t it wonderful and comforting to know of such a faithful God we have?

God is faithful to His people.  God will not forsake His people, neither will He forget them.  When we call upon Him, He will hear us.  When we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him.  In Jeremiah 29: 12-13, we can learn something about God’s response towards our cries to Him and our searching for Him.  He desires to shape us and sharpen us so that we will be more like His Son Jesus.  He does this through His disciplining us and chastising us.  In Hebrews 12: 5-6, we can learn that the Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastises every son whom He receives.  What a joy to know that God is treating us as sons and daughters!  We belong to Him and He is faithful to us.

God is faithful to His Name.  In Exodus 20: 7, we can learn that God’s Name is precious to Him.  He will not allow anyone to profane His Name.  He will not spare those who take His Name in vain.  In fact, God will hold those who take His Name in vain guilty.  It is wonderful to note that His Name is precious and powerful.  Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved (see Romans 10:13).  We should exalt His Name and not disgrace or dishonour it.  In the same light, God has “bestowed on Jesus the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2: 9-11).

God is faithful.  Let us often reflect upon His faithfulness and recall and rejoice that God is faithful to His Word, to His promises, to His people and to His Name.  With these, let us also be faithful to such a faithful God!