Skip to main content

Promises


           When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
         People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:13-20)
 
         Just as a reminder. Abraham waited eleven years after God promised him a son before he agreed to try to help God out, and he waited another fourteen years before Isaac was born. God not only promised Abraham, God gave him a formal promise, which the author of Hebrews calls swearing (as in, I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth….) If you look in Genesis 17, you’ll see that God makes a covenant with Abraham. It’s a formal, legal contract, which is a type of oath.
          In Jeremiah 31, God told Jeremiah that the days were coming when He would establish a new covenant with His people. During the last supper, Jesus told His disciples that the cup was the cup of a new covenant in His blood. We are like Abraham. God has bound Himself to us with a covenant and promises. What promises do you need to remember today?
            If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)
          “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
          Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)
           I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
          However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:9-10)
          I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8)
         I will not let you miss your “exit.” (KAK paraphrase of Psalm 32:8)
           And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more