Advent
December 1, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Merriam-Webster dictionary list four slightly differing definitions of the word faithful*.

1. true and constant in affection or allegiance
2. firm in adherence to promises, oaths, or undertakings
3. given with strong or solemn assurances
4. conforming to the facts or to an original

The second meaning most closely matches the meaning of the Greek word used by Paul in the scripture above. Strong’s indicates the meaning as God, abiding by his promises, ** I think all the definitions are accurate in defining the Faithfulness of God.

In a world that seems to be turned upside-down, we must cling closely to God’s forever promises and the examples of faithfulness he sets for each of us to follow. The problem lies in our being clearheaded enough to understand God’s faithful actions as compared to our responses. We seem to live in a world that grasps God’s words when they support the graspers purpose but sweeps God’s ways away when they do not. Our failure to love all of God’s children is an excellent example of that. I was appalled when I heard recently that our government is rescinding the protections offered to some 60,000 Haitians a few years ago when that island was hit by a huge earthquake. These people are not a burden to the USA. Indeed, many are hardworking taxpayers. Haiti has certainly not recovered enough to absorb this group for their good as well as the good of its current residents.

We show our love for God best to God when we live as God wills for us to love. The picture above taken this year shows Doctors without Borders staff treating a Haitian child whose illness resulted from unclean water.

Prayer: God, forgive us when we fail to be faithful to your love for us as we reflect it in our care for all your children. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Faithful
**As used in 1 Corinthians 1:9 the Greek pistos from Strong’s Concordance see at http://biblehub.com/greek/4103.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.