Steadfast is an adjective it means resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering. “steadfast loyalty”
My only hope is in Jesus (Your only hope is in Jesus) Basically EVERYONE needs Jesus. I was reading Psalm 136 this week and found myself frustrated (it’s allowed to happen) The first time I read it I just started to skip over the second half of every single verse in Psalm 136. It’s redundant and I get it, but DO I? (I ended up reading it line for line) for his steadfast love endures forever.
HIS steadfast love endures forever…
This world, won’t go on forever. We’ve done a pretty great job at polluting it with all our wants and needs and fancy things. We’ve not loved our neighbors as ourselves (yes I have) check your heart for real. Your neighbor isn’t just your literal neighbor it’s the person who’s in close proximity to you. Y’all I have 5 neighbors just under this roof and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t loving any one of them this morning I was frustrated with the billion “hey momma” moments and the general lack of them all not being on MY page and my plans. We aren’t called to love our neighbor as ourselves when it is convenient for us or when we feel like it, but always. ALWAYS. We NEED Jesus.
The fruit of the spirit, I mean come on.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.
For the most part, I’m a kind person or so I’d like to think. But I’ve had unkind moments just as much as I’ve had moments of Anger vs Joy, Dislike vs Love, roughness vs gentleness. I think you get my point, showing you again that these verses on our own cannot obtain because again that whole I’m human aspect BUT I’m a Human who HAS Jesus, and because I have JESUS I also have the HOLY SPIRIT, and it’s the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of Emily that is all of these things.
The Holy Spirit is ALIVE in US through JESUS CHRIST.
But we gotta be real, with ourselves, with each other.
Build one another up, and hold one another accountable.
Spend time getting to know Jesus through his word, the gospels (his ministry) pray.
LORD this world NEEDS Prayer right now, possibly also a good swift kick in the derriere.
Note: I’m not perfect I’m super far from it, I’m human, I like shiny things, I get irritated easily with my beautiful children, I complain, have fears, and trust issues and the list goes on. But thank the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever. IF I mess up I don’t just brush it off, I ask for forgiveness much like we teach our children to do as we raise them. IF I feel the world’s weight and I spiral and or freak out (Ask Jay it can be often sometimes) I turn to the Lord I get into the Word, I seek him out in prayer, I talk to my Husband, or friends in Christ they hold me accountable.
John 15:4 says Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can YOU unless YOU abide in ME.
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
So back to this Steadfast Word: Dutifully Firm, Unwavering. IF the Lord’s Steadfast Love endures Forever, it endures through all this earthly funk, through its sickness, through its racism, through its death and destruction. The Lord doesn’t bring this on, he stays Steadfast through it all, and His love endures forever…do we accept his love? I DO
How can I stay Steadfast how can I be Dutifully Firm, Unwavering in the LORD?
Abide in Him, Pray, and Give thanks, alas I have one more passage that sums up a lot of the verses I’ve tossed out there this evening.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice Always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for YOU.
Through the bad, find the (some) good it all is meant to forge your life in one way or another.
Pray without ceasing, communication is key in any relationship, right?
Give thanks in ALL circumstances, takes practice but can be done! kind of like above we may not love every life circumstance tossed our way but most often in hindsight whatever is given to us we have grown for the better because of it.
Now more than ever we need more Steadfast people in this world.
Ones that remain calm cool and collected no matter what the world decided to do next.
I Emily, am a hot mess express.
It’s the Holy Spirit in me, It’s Jesus.
He lights up my world like nobody else!
(bonus points if a pop song came to mind on that last line above)