con·sist·en·cy [kuhn-sis-tuhn-see] –noun, plural -cies.
cited: Dictionary.com
- a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.: The liquid has the consistency of cream.
- steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.: There is consistency in his pattern of behavior.
- agreement, harmony, or compatibility, esp. correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing: consistency of colors throughout the house.
- the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.
I don’t know about you but I’ve never thought of consistency as holding together. It makes sense though, even in our spiritual lives. Unfortunately, our circumstances have a tendency to alter our commitment. We should never be moved by anything other than the Spirit of God. Who can say they have a day where that’s been true even one whole day. I know I can’t say that. What are we moved by then; emotions, thoughts, fears, circumstances, other people, etc. The list could go on and on. One thing is true - to be consistent means doing what we know the Lord would have us to do no matter what is going on around us, what others may say, or how we might “feel” at the moment. Who wants curdled cream?
We are all consistently something. Haven’t you ever known anyone who you would say is consistently a jerk, or maybe someone who is consistently anxious or impatient? This makes me stop to think about what I am consistently. Am I consistently a follower of Jesus Christ? That is who I want to be each day. We should want to be led by the Holy Spirit, in step with the Lord on all things all the time.
First, it is essential that we know the Word of God and what it looks like to be Spirit-filled and led. We can only know this as we study and meditate on Scripture. The Psalmist said he meditated on the truth day and night. In Proverbs we are told to bind these on our neck and keep them ever before us. I am beginning to see that God foreknew our difficulty with faithful consistency. HE tells us to remind ourselves constantly of His commands, expectations, character and statutes. God’s people fail to realize their own inadequacy.
The next thing is to realize we are not capable of this kind of faithfulness apart from help from God and others. Constant reminders and guideposts along the way will keep us on the right path. Make it a point to hide God’s Word in your heart. Write yourself post-it notes with verses on them you would like to memorize. Jesus is the living Word. Remember, to be in step with Jesus means level paths. Level, sounds consistent to me!
Then we need to develop spiritual disciplines. Would you consider prayer a discipline? It is a discipline. We don’t always feel like praying. We are told to pray without ceasing though, and how many of us can say we have done that at least one day all day. This is not about us measuring and seeing how far we fall short. However, that kind of honest inventory can cause us to be even more in awe of the grace we have through Jesus Christ. He was the one man, The Son of Man, who consistently, always, every day, all day, did all that the Father asked and was led completely and fully by the Holy Spirit.
God has given us so much grace. We need to be reminded we are still in the process of growing to be more like Christ. I believe part of this is striving to be consistent in character no matter what! Jesus was always the same and God is always the same. Imagine even in the event of great tragedy His character is constant. He always does what he says He will do and that never changes. We can change, but God never changes. We are called to be mirror images of this same faithful character in our own lives.
I pray that God would help us in making consistency a priority in our spiritual lives, and in our natural commitments to follow through faithfully with our word. Help us to be in action, thought and word who we know we have become through Jesus Christ…God's beloved children. Amen.
Scripture References/study helps:
Proverbs 3:3, 5-6, Psalms 119, John 12:49-50,
Galatians 5:7-25, I Timothy 1:15-17,
I Thessalonians 5:23-24, and John 1:1-18
