Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Last month we have focused on faith, obedience of faith and aspects of servitude to our Lord. If we are faithful to keep His commandments we have expressed our love for Him. Yesterday I left off with our need for repentance because we are human, make mistakes, sin and are only faithful in a few things. That is faithfulness in relationship to commandments.

God is faithful. Who gives Him commands? No one tells God what to do. God does however make promises and in that He can be faithful to keep His promises. I was still struggling with how our Lord could call us good and faithful servants even though we had not performed all that was asked of us by obedience of faith. Then He answered me.

Faithfulness is also fidelity. We can make mistakes in our understanding of our commandments because were do not always hear perfectly, or perform perfectly. That does not mean we have worshipped other gods, infidelity to God.

I cannot imagine what infidelity in the Godhead would look like, I’ve never seen it. Because God is perfect in performance, I never will. We on the other hand wrestle with these issues of faithfulness. What would it mean if we did become unfaithful in the sense of infidelity? What if we stopped believing in God? Is that infidelity on our part? I should think so. What then?

2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

If we truly are a member of His body, He remains faithful, fidelity is His character, He cannot deny His divine nature, He is God. Because He is faithful, He keeps both His promises and fidelity to His betrothed.

1 Kings 8:23 And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:

God’s mercy is experimental. It is discovered by experience by walking with God by faith, with all your heart. We covered this last month in that hearing God, believing God and obeying God is walking by faith, obedience of faith. In doing this we discover who God is in how He treats us mercifully.

It doesn’t always feel that way because we are not perfect in faithfulness. We are human and we mess up and when we do God shows the loving Father side before He shows His merciful side.

Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

It is only in repentance that we find mercy. It is in repentance that we have turned from sin, returned to God and by His mercies pushed aside our sins and welcomed us back into covenant relationship. What good have you accomplished in confessing a sin if you are not willing to leave it and return to God?

Matthew 25:21a,b His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things,

Don’t we all want to hear our Lord declare us good and faithful servants? Yet with the same breath He reveals that we have been faithful in only a few things. I don’t feel faithful if I know that I have only been faithful in a few things. How can He say that to us, knowing that?

By His mercies.