7.25.23 Unto Death!

I’ve been thinking about what it means to be “faithful” to God

That’s the message I’ve been getting lately- to remain faithful. I think to myself, I trust God! I believe in God. I talk to God. I surrender to God. I have faith in God. So, is that what it is to be faithful?

We’re told to have faith, faith being the noun. But we’re also told to BE faithful, faithful being an action verb.

I’m being told not to just have, but to BE.

I felt that I was missing something, so I approached it a little differently-

I am part of the bride of Christ. Jesus is the bridegroom. He is my best friend, He is my partner, He is the one I surrender to, the one I obey. So I ask myself again:

What is it to be faithful, in the context of a loving relationship between a bride and a bridegroom?

Okay, well, first and obviously foremost… don’t CHEAT. Stay LOYAL to your partner. And cheating isn’t just physical, it’s mental. It’s emotional. It’s pouring your time, energy, resources, attention, focus and LOVE into anyone, anyTHING else but HIM. 

It’s idolatry.

God first, no one beside or before Him.

Okay, so no false idols. Got it. I’m still missing something, I think. Is that all it takes to be faithful in a marriage? To not cheat? Is that the only requirement? Is that the only vow?

No, there’s definitely more to being a faithful partner. It’s keeping your promises. It’s showing active gratitude sincerely and often. It’s giving and receiving love. It’s taking care of each other and taking care of yourselves. It’s gifts. It’s sacrifice. It’s having fun and laughing together. It’s ALONE TIME; dedicated, devotional, present alone time. It’s deep, constant, honest, vulnerable, raw, loving, open communication.

It’s prayer.

Ah. It’s prayer. To be faithful is to be in prayer.

Genuine prayer can actually be really challenging if you allow yourself to be distracted. That’s what the world wants… your attention. There’s always something that needs to be done, or something you want to do, that takes the place of quality time with God. We’re naturally selfish beings, even the people-pleasing, “selfless” ones. Naturally, we want the world to accept us. We want to fit in, to have friends, to date. God is the one who, in all His patience and forgiveness, is all-too-often forgotten.

Because God won’t demand your attention. No, He gave us free choice. He’ll ask. At times, maybe even plead. But He will not demand it.

God did not make servant robots and worship puppets… he made children and gave them dominion over the earth. Like any loving father, any loving partner, He wants us… bad. He loves hanging out with us and wants to spend all day, every day with each and every one of us. But He will not crash a party He was not invited to.

Prayer is an intimate connection with God… everyone prays differently. Or rather, gets to a place of prayer differently, receives answers differently. A long walk. Dance. A self-care routine. Journaling. Writing. Singing. Petting your cats. Sitting in the sun. Painting. Staring at the stars. Genuinely appreciating the gift of life. Feeling His love, spreading it around.

Worship is intimate. Worship is giving God a hug. Worship is feeling God IN YOU, the Holy Spirit IN YOU.

Do you understand that? How powerful that is? That Jesus Christ was tortured and died so that God the Father could dwell within us, our temples?

Do you recognize what it means when God says our body is a temple?

That’s a Bible lesson for another day <3

God isn’t heavens away… He’s in your heart. Banish the demons in Jesus’ name and speak to God directly. Make sure to shut up and listen so you don’t miss His response. 

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, thank you, THANK you, Jesus, for giving us direct access to The Father. Amen.