MEM

Often we sing, "Our God is an Awesome God," and truly He is. One of His awesome traits is His faithfulness. Throughout the Scriptures the writers proclaim the Faithfulness of God.

Certainty - dependability - assurance - fidelity and truth are some of the concepts wrapped up in His great faithfulness. His faithfulness projects all His attributes such as lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, righteousness, justice and more.

Faith is a concept throughout the Tanakh (Old Testament). Behind the root meaning of faithful and faithfulness is the idea of certainty. This is borne out by the definition of faith found in Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (NAS unless indicated)

Deuteronomy 7:9 "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful <0539> God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
0539 'aman root; v; to confirm, support, uphold; to be established, be faithful; to be certain, i.e. to believe in. (108 uses of this root)

Deuteronomy 32:4 "The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness <0530> and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.
0530 'emuwnah; n; firmness, fidelity, steadiness; (49 uses)

Genesis 32:10 I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness <0571> which You have shown to Your servant… (Jacob praying to YHVH)
0571 'emeth; truth; (127 uses)

Romans 3:3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?
4102 pistis; n; faith, fidelity (loyalty to an allegiance, promise, or vow);

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful <4103>;
4103 pistos; adj; trustworthy, true; …that can be relied on believing, confiding, trusting; one who trusts in God's promises

The Hebrew word for ‘faithful’ will give us further insight to strengthen our faith in the Faithful One.

From TWOT: (Theological Workbook of the Old Testament)
116.0 (' aman) (to be certain, i.e. to believe in).

…`to be faithful, sure, dependable' describes believers. {Nu 12:7 1Sa 2:35 Ne 9:8} This form is also used to describe that upon which all certainty rests: God himself, {De 7:9} and his covenant (Ps 89:28).

The various derivatives reflect the same concept of certainty and dependability. The derivative ‘amen `verily' is carried over into the New Testament in the word amen which is our English word amen. Jesus used the word frequently {Mt 5:18-26 etc.} to stress the certainty of a matter. The Hebrew and Greek forms come at the end of prayers and hymns of praise. This indicates that the term so used in our prayers ought to express certainty and assurance in the Lord to whom we pray.

Firmness, faithfulness, fidelity (In Hab 2:4 where they translate `faith' instead of `faithfulness' in accord with Paul's use of the verse in Ro 1:17 Ga 3:11). Basically, the term applies to God himself to express his total dependability.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True…

Psalm 119:86 All Your commandments are faithful…

1Colosians 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

When we strive to be like YHVH, the Faithful One, we too will be dependable; we will be steadfast, firm, and true; certain in what we believe and how we walk.

Daniel 6:4 Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.

Psalm 31:23 …The LORD preserves the faithful …

Ezekiel 18:9 if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully-he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD.

Proverbs 12:22 … those who deal faithfully are His delight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (AV)

Oh YHVH, You are an ‘Awesome God’ and ‘Great is Your Faithfulness’.

Proverbs 13:17 … a faithful envoy brings healing.

Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man will abound with blessings…

Someone that is faithful is one that is steadfast, has strong moral character, and trust in the Almighty.

"Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow." Mary Anne Radmacher

Without faith it would be difficult to have courage. YHVH tests us, He wants to grow us; He wants us to faithfully trust Him, and with His help to get up and keep going. Courage implies strength, comfort, endurance; not to be idle but to accomplish.

Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well.

2 Chronicles 15:7 "But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work."

"I cannot change yesterday; I can only make the most of today, and look with hope toward tomorrow."

1. "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever" is recorded in which book?
2. Where were the Levites and priests required to live during their period of temple service?
3. Persecution against the church at what place caused the Christians to be scattered thorough Judea and Samaria?
4. On whose nave shall one call to be saved?
5. What did Moses do that won him favor with the priest of Midian?
6. Who was Jacob’s first son?
7. Who said, "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"

In our pursuit of humility: (Lesson from humility in daily life.)

"In God’s presence, humility is not a posture we assume for a time (when we think of Him or pray to Him) but the very spirit of our life. It will manifest itself in all our bearing toward others. - The seemingly insignificant acts of daily life are the tests of eternity, because they prove what spirit possesses us. - To know a truly humble person, you must follow that one in the common course of daily life." Andrew Murray

Yeshua said we would know them by their fruits. In this issue we have looked at the fruits of the faithful. They are good fruits and so it is from the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

"The root of faith is humility. Faith is a confession of helplessness, the surrender to God that waits to let Him work … the acceptance of our place as dependants who can claim, or get, or do nothing but what grace bestows." Andrew Murray

October 12 is Columbus Day. A National holiday and we may not realize it except it is noted on the calendar and the US mail is stopped for the day.

It was on this date in 1492 that this sea captain landed on the island of Guanahani, which he renamed San Salvador.

Columbus was probably born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 but this is uncertain. (Some believe he was born in Corsica.) He claimed to have taken his first sea voyage at age 10. Columbus mistakenly believed the Earth was smaller than it really is. No ship of his time could have carried enough food and water for a voyage from Europe to Asia, and so his plans for such a trip were met with skepticism from the European leaders he approached for funding.

Spain, though, had just ended a long and difficult war to expel Muslims from the Iberian peninsula, and its rulers were somewhat desperate to find any competitive advantage in trade over its neighboring European nations. Aside from financial support, the king and queen of Spain agreed to name Columbus "Admiral of the Ocean Sea," appoint him governor of any new lands he discovered, and allow him to nominate three people to any office in newly discovered countries. The Spanish rulers may have agreed to these terms because they didn’t really expect Columbus to return from his journey.

But he did return, and made three more trips across the ocean. Columbus died in 1506, but his legacy endures. Thus, "Columbus Day," and you know more of the story.

Flying the Friendly Skies

1. On a Southwest flight (SW has no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced:

"People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

2. On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

3. On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have.

4. "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane"

5. "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

6. From a Southwest Airlines employee:

"Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in Public unsupervised."

7. "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."

8. "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

9. "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

10. And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

11. Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day:

During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

12. Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

13. After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we’ll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."

14. Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement:

"We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways."

15. Heard on a Southwest Airline flight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

16. A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport.

After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax...

OH, MY GOD!"

Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine."

The famous baseball player, Mickey Mantle, known for his homeruns said, "After I hit a home run I had a habit of running the bases with my head down. I figured the pitcher already felt bad enough without me showing him up rounding the bases."

You are only what the grace of God has made you; aspire to nothing more than to do His will. (Michael Boldea Jr.)

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.

If you want to feel rich just think of all the things money can’t buy.

Cooperation is doing with a smile what you have to do anyway.

A certain amount of adversity is a great help…kites rise against, not with the wind.

With every rising of the sun, think of life as just begun.

Praise does wonders for the sense of hearing.

Psalm 85 (Our faith in His faithfulness)

2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah.

3 You withdrew all Your fury; You turned away from Your burning anger.

4 Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.

6 Will You not Yourself revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?

7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O LORD, And grant us Your salvation.

8 I will hear what God the LORD will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; But let them not turn back to folly.

9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.

13 Righteousness will go before Him And will make His footsteps into a way.

The promise of verse 9 is based on our fearing Him. "If the concept of "fearing God" is unfamiliar to you, it refers to having great respect, the kind of respect that strongly evokes an obedient response. - True faith in God proves itself through our actions." (TorahBytes)

Blessed be YHVH

1. Hebrews - Hebrews 1:8

2 In Jerusalem

3. Jerusalem - Acts 8:3

4. the name of the Lord - Romans 10:13

5. Helped his seven daughters at the well - Exodus 2:16-20

6. Ruben - Genesis 35:23

7. Joseph - Genesis 39:9