Releasing God's Best: Faithfulness
Galatians 5:22-26; Hosea 4:1-3;Psalm 86:10-13; I Corinthians 1:4-9
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
1Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lordhas a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2There is only cursing, 2 That is, to pronounce a curse on lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.
10For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. 11Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.
4I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
God desires our lives to be defined and shaped by our relationship with Him.
Faithfulness/Faith
Randy’s premise:
- What we are known for is typically what we are faithful to:
- Abe Lincoln
- Michael Jordan
- Dale Earnhardt Jr
- Faithfulness for a Christian is being defined by our relationship with God - both in being and in action.
- What are you known for? What do you want to be known for?
Faithfulness is a God desired, God given grace for our lives.
Closing prayer: Lord, I pray for your help to release the fruit of faithfulness in me - as it relates to You and me, to my family, to my neighbor, to my enemy, to my world. I bind in Jesus name anything that would or could hinder my witness and expression of being faithful to you. I pray for help, for remembrance, for strength, and for grace to live in faithfulness so that others who do not yet believe will know of Your faithfulness. Amen.
TODAY'S PREACHER
Randy Reese is Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC