Faithfulness

I wanted to thank Ashley and Kim for sharing on Tuesday. I think we were all inspired by Ashley and I think we'll all be dusting off our camera this week.

Kim spoke on Faithfulness and one thing that pressed upon me was that no matter how unfaithful I am God is always faithful and in many ways He even fills up the areas where I lack faithfulness with His faithfulness.
Kim asked me to post this devotional and I encourage you today to ask God to fill in those empty spaces where you lack faithfulness He's standing by willing and able to fill in those gaps. In fact He knows every part of us that is lacking and that is why He sent His Son to rescue us. Yes, He sent Him to rescue us from eternal separation from Him but to also build us up and encourage us and rescue us from temptation and destruction here on Earth as well. The key though is that we have to come to Him and humble ourselves and ask for that help.

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Be Honest With God
by Elisabeth Elliot

Since God knows our thoughts even before we think them, isn't it absurd of us to hesitate to tell Him the straight truth about ourselves? When we feel we ought to try to cover our spiritual nakedness it is good for us to open up Psalm 139: "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.... You perceive my thoughts from afar.... You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.... You created my inmost being" (Psalm 139:1-4,13, NIV).

There are times when I hesitate even to pray, knowing how far short I fall from God's standard.

George MacDonald writes:


"If I felt my heart as hard as a stone; if I did not love God, or man, or woman, or little child, I would yet say to God in my heart, 'O God, see how I trust Thee, because Thou art perfect, and not changeable like me. I do not love Thee. I love nobody. I am not even sorry for it. Thou seest how much I need Thee to come close to me, to put Thy arm round me, to say to me, MY CHILD: for the worse my state, the greater my need of my Father who loves me. Come to me, and my day will dawn; my love will come back, and, oh! how I shall love Thee, my God! and know that my love is Thy love, my blessedness Thy being.'"
We may pray the prayer that closes Psalm 139: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).

"Be persuaded, timid soul," writes Archbishop Fenelon, in his SPIRITUAL LETTERS TO WOMEN, "that He has loved you too much to cease loving you."
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Also here are the discussion questions Kim had for us that we didn't get a chance to get to. Feel free to discuss here in the comment section. I'd love to see what some of you think about these.
Also if you don't have a blog account and would like to participate shoot me an email and I'll let you know how to go about using our password.

1. Name someone who has been faithful to you. What did such faithfulness feel like? How did such faithfulness affect your life?

2. Have you ever experienced unfaithfulness in a relationship in which someone was not true to you? Describe the emotions you faced. How have you recovered from that experience? What lessons have you brought forward in life as a result?

3. Now consider a relationship in which you are being asked to be faithful. How successful are you? What is the most challenging part of faithfulness to this person? How can you improve your faithfulness?

4. Is it possible to be 100 percent faithful to God? Why or why not? How does your answer shape your efforts with this fruit?