Promises: March 6, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 6, 2013.

PROMISES

DEFINITION:

Ones pledge to another; grounds for hope; give ones word to.

SCRIPTURE:

For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. II Corinthians 1:20.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

How many promises have you made in your lifetime? Do you really understand what a promise is or signifies? Do you make promises without considering what it will require of you to keep it? Are you a person who is known to keep your promises or do family and friends think differently? These are important considerations to carefully think about because a person that keeps his or her promises is known as a person of integrity, but the person who breaks promises will be considered untrustworthy.

When we were raising our family, we learned the importance that it was to our children and those we associated with, to keep promises that we made. Nothing can discourage a child more than to anticipate a pending promise and then to have that promise broken. We endeavored to always keep a promise, not just only to maintain our integrity but to set an example for our children. God blesses you when you learn to keep promises.

It blesses us to see our children staying true to their word. We know they keep their promises and we know we can count on them to keep their word. God has made literally hundreds of promises for us in His Word. And the good news is that not one of His promises has ever been proven to be broken. Our Christian faith rests on a foundation that God has laid for us for today and for the future.

We can trust every word that our Heavenly Father has spoken because He has proven to be:

•    Truthful: The Lord knows what is true and speaks honestly to us through His Word in all matters of life. God cannot lie. We can be assured of this because He is Holy; there is no sin in Him. He is also omniscient and understands everything. His promises are based on His infinite knowledge and truthfulness.
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•    Faithful: Scripture compares our Lord to a shepherd who gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He does the same for us and has planned a life for eternity with him. Our heavenly Father does not waver in His intentions or will. He is truly faithful.
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•    Loving: God’s love for us was demonstrated to the world at the cross. He sent His only Son to die by crucifixion and thereby take the punishment for our sins. Jesus experienced God’s wrath against iniquity so we might know only His love. This is the ultimate proof of His love for us.
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•    All-powerful: Divine power created the world and the same power raised our Savior back to life, so we know God has the ability to carry out all His plans for us. Yes our omnipotent Father will keep every promise He has given us.
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A promise can be believed only if the one making it has trustworthy character and the ability to carry through on the promise. We can be certain that God is trustworthy to keep His promises and His power to fulfill His promises is without limit. God does not change His mind. What He says He will do He will do.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:17.

That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PRAYER:

Help me to realize completely that God will do exactly as He has promised for me. Help me to fulfill Your conditions to the promises You give such as being obedient and faithful to You.