FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD

Faithful to His Promise – Pt. 5

When contemplating the very character of God, the key truth to be embraced is that God is faithful to His word. This was vital for Joshua when God called him to lead God’s people into the Promised Land. God told Joshua three times to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6-7,9). The Hebrew word to “be strong” means to be unbending and resolute. The word “courageous” carries the idea “to have heart”. These terms reveal that God meant for Joshua to be brave and to be established.

God’s presence is found in His precepts, His commands. God expected Joshua to walk in His word and this was to be a priority in his life. Joshua was not to turn from God’s ways, either to the right or to the left. God’s word was to be in his mouth and Joshua was to declare it. He was to meditate upon God’s word day and night. The Hebrew word for “meditate” meant to hear over and over again, a repeated sound. It came to mean to not only hear repetitively, but also to read repetitively. Basically to meditate is to internalize.

Believers are to speak God’s word to themselves, which produces faith and in turn, worship. Embracing God’s truth helps battle our own perspectives at times. Martyn Lloyd-Jones notes, “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” (Spiritual Depression). Meditating on God’s precepts reminds us of God’s faithfulness and to live by faith rather than by our own feelings, thoughts or even circumstances. David practiced this when he declared in Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul”. David had to tell his soul to worship because of the truth of God’s faithfulness. God’s words need to be continually placed before us and by so doing we are strengthened and led into worship and obedience.

God’s commands were to be the guiding force of Joshua’s life. It is the same with us today. The gospel has power that transforms both individuals and society. God’s commands are to be life shaping and not merely an intellectual assent. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states, “According to the New Testament, faith always includes the element of obedience. There is no value whatsoever in a supposed faith that does not lead inevitably to a changed life” (Romans: The New Man).

God’s own faithfulness is the essential source of our life of faith. His faithfulness releases us to live radically because we know His word brings real transformation. Are you living in a way that clearly reveals that God is faithful?