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Written by Ana Cardoso, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Ecuador
The Word of God says: “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Ps 100:5 NIV).
Currently, the concept of love is totally distorted by the world, compared to the love that God teaches us. The love we learn from the world is based on the law of giving and receiving in which for you to receive, it is necessary to give. Often, we Christians follow this pattern.
God's love is eternal, faithful, and incomparable. Many times in my life, I have come to doubt God's love, thinking that because I had given in to sin, God would no longer love me and that perhaps He was tired of my excuses, but I have learned over these 19 years that God's faithfulness never ends. He loves me so much and never fails me. Even knowing this, I continue to make mistakes, yet He continues to love me and teach me about His infinite faithfulness. I often compare myself to the people of Israel, who disobeyed God again and again, and I see that God remained faithful to the Israelites, and still does to us to this day.
But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 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. (Dt 7:8-9)
If, like me, you feel that God is no longer willing to forgive you for the sins you have committed, remember what John said: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn 1:9). This is one of the promises that God made to us; we just have to confess our sin and believe in the Word.
In 2023, I was in a training program for young missionaries, and at the end of the year, I discovered that my missionary field would be in another country. At the time I didn't have a single dollar saved to buy the ticket. It was at that moment that I saw that God never abandoned me and remained faithful, even if I didn't deserve it. There were days when I let despair overcome me and I didn't remember who was on my side. It was a unique experience where I was able to have the pleasure of seeing the power of God. As I said, I fail with my faithfulness, but God has never failed and will never fail.
Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (2Tm 2:11-13)
Dear sisters, I encourage you to seek to know more about God's love and faithfulness, and most importantly, put it into practice. After I started looking more into this, my perspective changed when I saw challenges appearing before me. Now I can say that I finally understand that God's faithfulness has always reached me, and it reaches you, too.
No one can be perfectly faithful, but our God can! When we are not faithful, He remains faithful because He maintains consistency. And, if God is faithful, we have confidence that we will receive the reward He promised us.
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Written by Ayane Nayara, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in João Pessoa, Brazil
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. (Ps 10:14 NIV)
When we have a relationship with God, we can enjoy many of His characteristics; we get a taste of what He is. We taste His love, His faithfulness, His kindness, His mercy, His grace, His generosity, among other attributes of our God, including His commitment.
To better understand this attribute, let’s think about its meaning. Commitment is an obligation assumed by one or more parties. It is an agreement or pact made by someone with another being or with themselves.
God as our Creator and Father is committed to us. Since the creation of man, He has made promises and covenants with humanity and His people. He planned every part of our journey and He committed to fulfilling it. Unfortunately, these covenants were broken, not by God, but by man. When a covenant is broken, both parties no longer have the obligation or commitment to fulfill what was agreed. However, what we do does not change who God is.
God takes on a responsibility with us. Like a true father, He knows our needs and despite our faults, He is committed to keeping His covenant. At all times, He seeks to teach us, make us grow, and bring us back to His path.
In Jeremiah 29, part of His people was exiled in Babylon. It was a difficult time for them. Israel had failed God; they once again broke the covenant with the Father and were suffering the consequences. However, the Lord remembered them and made this clear when He sent them a letter through the prophet Jeremiah, asking them to remain firm, not to listen to false prophets, to multiply, and stay alive.
In verse 11 He says, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” All along, the Lord has been committed to helping, loving, and rescuing His people.
In the Old Testament, He made a covenant with one people, while still blessing others. From humanity: broken alliances, broken promises, betrayal in worship, among other failures; from God: fidelity and commitment.
In the New Testament, He makes a covenant not only with one people but with all those who are open to His will. He gave us His Son so that through Him we could draw closer, and He left us His Spirit as proof of the commitment He has made to take us to our heavenly home. From humanity: the same situation as in the Old Testament; from God: He remains committed. Unlike before, we now have His grace that allows us to get closer to our Father. Even so, in response to His unconditional commitment, He asks us to commit. We need to seek and strive to bring who we are to who the Father is. He does not force us to enjoy who He is, but He is available when we seek Him.
We must always remember that no matter what we do, God remains committed to us as long as we repent and return to Him.
Remember: God is a Father committed to helping, loving, and rescuing us.
He loves us, allowing us to learn from the consequences of our mistakes. He helps us, revealing our sin, guiding us where to walk and what our attitude should be to grow. And He rescues us, reminding us of our covenant with Him and fulfilling His promises.
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.” (Jer 29:12-14a)