Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today the Holy Spirit is leading me to briefly examine two pillars of a successful relationship, love and loyalty.

Today scripture, Psalms 117:1-2 (NLT) says…
[1] Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. [2] For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!

Consider…
Wikipedia says Faithfulness means unfailingly remaining loyal to someone or something, and putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances.

Today’s second verse, paired with this definition is what inspired our title and focus.

I found the use of the word unfailing intriguing.

A Google search returned an AI Overview that said…

“Unfailing” means always reliable, never failing, or never-ending. It describes something that is constant, such as unfailing loyalty, inexhaustible support, or a supply that will not run out.

Yeppers, God’s loyalty and love are…

• Always reliable
• Never failing
• Never-ending
• Constant
• Inexhaustible

Let that marinate in your spirit…🤔

The brevity of today’s post is inspired by the use of the shortest chapter in the Bible.

Fun fact, The middle of the Bible, in terms of chapters, is Psalm 118, with 594 chapters preceding and 594 chapters following it in the King James Version (KJV). Within this chapter, Psalm 118:8 is often considered the middle verse of the Bible, stating, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man”.

Also interesting is the fact that Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.

Yet, what I find most fascinating is what’s said after the shortest, and before the longest chapters in the Bible. Psalms 118:1, 29 (NLT) exhorts…
[1] Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
[29] Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Notice our why is…God is Good and Unfailingly Loyal to His Unfailing Love!

That’s the perfect description of God!

While these bookend verses of Psalm 118 exhort us to give thanks for the goodness and love loyalty of God, the shortest chapter tells us to praise Him for those qualities.

That made me curious about the difference between praise and giving thanks. The AI Overview response I received said…

Praise is the celebration of who God is, focusing on His character, attributes, and abilities, while thanksgiving is the expression of gratitude for what God has done, acknowledging His blessings and provisions in our lives.

Applying this differentiation, I concluded, We should celebrate God for being Unfailingly Loyal with His Unfailing Love and grateful that He’s extends both to us!

That’s because, as Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT)…
[13] If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

You see, God being Unfailingly Loyal to His Unfailing Love is about who HE IS!

It’s why we can say with confidence like the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)…
[38] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. [39] No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love, because He is Unfailingly Loyal to His Unfailing Love!

It’s also why we can sing with today’s song…”I can depend on God!“

So today, stand confidently and gratefully between the pillars of God’s Unfailing Loyalty and Love.

Today’s song is…
I Can Depend On God

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)