Tues Oct 5 Devotion

[Pastor Joelle]

The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13if we are faithless, he remains faithful —
for he cannot deny himself.
I Timothy 2:11-13

The words above from Paul begin in a way we understand. Tit for tat.
You do something for me, I will do something for you. IF we die with
Christ, we will live with him. IF we endure, we will reign with him,
and IF w deny him, he will deny us.

We understand this way of thinking. The world runs on this kind of
bargaining. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. You do me
wrong, I'll get back at you.

But then Paul interrupts that way of thinking with this truth about
God “If we are faithless, he remains faithful” God's faithfulness
does not depend upon us. In fact, nothing God does depends on us.
God does not depend upon us. It is not about us.

God is faithful. That is who God is. We are faithless. That is who
we are. That is why God is God and we are God's creatures, dependent
upon God's faithfulness, not the other way around.

“For he cannot deny himself” God can only be God and God is
faithfulness. What we do or do not do, believe or do not believe,
does not change who God is.

We are always trying to be God. What if tried to be like God in this
way? What if we decided to be loving, kind, compassionate and
forgiving, not because others are that way but because that is who we
are as children of God? What if we did not let other people and
their actions and beliefs determine how we behave?

We could try. Even if we don't quite make it, God will still be
faithful. “for he cannot deny himself”

Gracious loving God, thank you for your faithfulness despite our lack
of faith. Give us grace to be who you call us to be as faithful
children of God in the midst of an unfaithful world. Amen.