Psalm 33:4-5 (NIV)
For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.
I simply love these meditations of King David as he contemplates the character of God … His nature … as He has revealed it and manifested it in the life of David. David reflects on the same thoughts that I believe most of us would have … who find great delight in knowing God and pursuing Him with all of our heart:
For the word of the Lord is right and true
The most fundamental spiritual discipline we can exercise is to read the Word of God … and to trust that His Word is right and true. This is essential to the formation of faith because faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Jesus Christ. (Cf. Romans 10:17) No one has ever seen God, but the One and Only Son, who is Himself God, and in intimate relationship with the Father, He has made the Father known. (Cf. John 1:18)
John 6:45-47 (NIV)
45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ (Cf. Isaiah 54:13) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.
John 14:8-10a (NIV)
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?
Yes, we too, can know the Father because we can intimately know His Son. We have both The Law and The Prophets which reveal the testimony of God about Himself as well as His Son. And we have the Word of God made flesh … who came and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory … the glory of the One and Only Son – who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Cf. John 1:14) As Jesus affirmed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (Cf. John 14:6-7)
He is faithful in all He does.
Like the knowledge of God’s love for us that we find in Scripture, another fundamental truth is His faithfulness! Indeed, God is faithful to those who love Him … even when we fail in our faithfulness toward Him. God responds to our love for Him … despite our weaknesses or failures. Jesus has said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)
Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV)
I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.
Psalm 89:8 (NIV)
Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)
God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Cf. Psalm 44:22) 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
Though we know the character of God … His love and faithfulness towards us … the holiness, righteousness, and justice of His nature … there is an inner knowledge we receive from His Spirit to be conformed to His image. Paul wrote, “For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” (Cf. Romans 8:29-30) We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. (Cf. 1 John 2:3-6)
Psalm 40:10 (NIV)
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.
Psalm 85:10 (NIV)
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Psalm 89:14 (NIV)
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
Proverbs 21:21 (NIV)
Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
1 Timothy 6:10-12 (NIV)
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith.
2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV)
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
1 John 3:7-10 (NIV)
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. 11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
It is clear that God expects us to consecrate our lives to Him … to sanctify ourselves through the truth of His Word (Cf. John 17:17) In this way, we become like Him in our own characters and spiritual natures. The bar has been set quite high for believers, and it is imperative that recognize what the Apostle John admonished above … that no one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. Indeed, there is a difference between asking for forgiveness and repentance. A believer will engage in repentance in order to do what is right and just….
The earth is full of His unfailing love.
Bless the Lord God because He has revealed His Being … His Truth to us through His Word and through His Son! Bless the Lord God because He is faithful in ALL that He does. Bless the Lord God because He is righteous and just in ALL He ways! Therefore, we can TRUST the Lord God will our being … yes, we can trust Him who created us to have relationship with Him. I love the following verses which speak to the unfailing love of God for us. And I pray these will speak to your heart as well:
Exodus 15:13 (NIV)
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
Psalm 13:5 (NIV)
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Psalm 26:2-3 (NIV)
Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
Psalm 32:10 (NIV)
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.
Psalm 51:1 (NIV)
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31 (NIV)
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind,
Psalm 143:8 (NIV)
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
As you can see, King David was quite expressive about the unfailing love of God. The Father is trustworthy in all things. The Father is faithful in all things. The Father sent His One and Only Begotten Son to reveal and manifest Himself so that we might know Him who is true! As the Apostle John affirmed: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (Cf. 1 John 5:19-20) And so, I pray that we will respond to this word today. I pray that we will seek sincere repentance in our attitudes and motives that do not conform to the image of Jesus. And I pray that we will always endeavor to walk in this understanding that we have been given. For God is spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in the Spirit and Truth. (Cf. John 4:24) Amen.
So Now You Know 