All The Promises Of God

 

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel,

“Do no fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.”

“For I am the Lord Your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior..."

 

Isaiah 43:1-3 

 

When Jesus came, He abolished the Old Testament Laws, and what remained were all the promises of God and these are ours to claim.

 

God says He calls us by name and we belong to Him and He is not going to allow trials and temptations to destroy us.  

 

God says He is the Lord Your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  And, that promise covers everything.

 

Hallelujah!

When I Am Weak

 

For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

The Apostle Paul was an evangelist.  He was famous and hundreds of people would come to hear him speak and seek to have fellowship with him.  

But Paul faced a challenge that he called "a thorn in the flesh" which tormented him and which he believed was allowed by God to keep him humble. There are a number of theories regarding what this thorn was.  Some think that Paul had a difficult marriage, others think he had failing vision, or a painful disease which interfered with his ministry.  

What did Paul do about this thorn?  He said he prayed for relief.  It did not come, but God gave Paul the strength to continue his ministry through the power of Christ.  Paul discovered that when he was weak, God made him strong.  

We too may face personal difficulties which can impact our ability to serve God and share the Gospel, but like Paul we can persevere and minister to others.

When we are weak, then we are strong. 

  

The Truth Of Salvation

 

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 

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

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 

1 John 1:8-10

 

I heard someone dismiss their need for the church or God or Jesus by saying, "I know I am a good person and when I die, I will go wherever it is that good people go."  

 

Wow!   I thought, well I know I am not a good person and that without God's mercy, my end would not be good.  

 

I listened to what she had to say regarding all the laws in the Bible and that they did not make sense because nobody can follow them all.  So religion is pointless, and she was satisfied as she is.  

 

I tried to point out that we are no longer under the Old Testament laws.  We are under grace, that is the mercy of God brought to us through Jesus.  This all went right over her head, so I am left to pray for her, knowing that no matter how far anyone is from the truth of salvation through Jesus, that God never stops looking for them, and that sometime, somewhere, she will encounter the truth of God's grace.   

 

 

God's Promises Are Good Forever

The works of His hands are truth and justice;

All His precepts are sure.

They are upheld forever and ever;

They are performed in truth and uprightness.

He has sent redemption to His people;

He has ordained His covenant forever;

Holy and awesome is His name.

Psalm 111:7-9

What a wonderful description of God's care for us.  

And, we are thankful for His mercy and love.   

 

By Faith

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it men of old gained approval. …

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Hebrews 11:1-2, 31

When we are jumping to judge people, we need to consider that we do not judge as God judges. God sees the hearts of men and women.

Rahab was a prostitute living in Jericho. She knew God parted the Red Sea and delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and she believed that He was the True God. When two Israelite spies ask Rahab to help them and promised her that she and her family would be safe when Jericho was overrun by the Israelites, she trusted them. 

The spies escaped from Jericho, and when the City was destroyed by the Israelites, only Rahab and her family were saved. Of all the people God could have saved, He saved Rahab, not because of her personal merits, but because she had faith in Him as the One True God. (Joshua 2)

That is the way it is with God, no one is saved because they are good, they are saved by faith in God and His Son, Jesus.

And, so it is with us, also. 

Not Intimidated, Blessed

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be trouble, but sanctify Christ the Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior will be put to shame.

1 Peter 3:14-16

Sometimes we suffer for our righteousness.  While we are busy doing the right thing, others are busy trying to vandalize our actions.  

Peter tells us not to fear intimidation, but to be ready to defend our actions and the hope that is in us.  We are not to jump up and down and swear and scream, but to respond with gentleness and reverence so that those who seek to destroy us are humiliated by their own bad behavior. 

Our good works speak louder than the actions of our critics. 

Peace Will Be With You

 

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

Paul’s encouragement still applies today.  We all want to live in peace.  How do we do it?

We can become more resilient by changing our attitude about how we respond to life’s little aggravations.  Getting into a frame of mind where we can say  “So what,” when little things go wrong, can change our whole outlook on life.  It might not be easy at first, but given a little time the habit of letting the small stuff slide, becomes easier.  And, we will find a more peaceful existence. 

So, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.