Promises for time and eternity

All Scripture is inspired by God, who cannot lie. (2 Timothy 3:16, Titus 1:2)  

All promises in Scripture are guaranteed by Almighty God. (Hebrews 6:17-18, 2 Corinthians 1:20)

A number of His promises concern eternity; other promises are for us, believers, today. 

Four promises for today

We have access to God

In the Old Testament, God restricted access to Himself. (Exodus 19:12, Hebrews 9:6-8)

Today, our enormous privilege, bought by Christ with His blood, is to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) 

This colossal promise cannot be overstated. 

Father, please help us, with gratitude, come to You. 

We are prayed for

We pray to the Father, receiving mercy and grace in time of need. (John 15:7)

Christ, our High Priest, continually intercedes for us. (Romans 8:34)  (See Jesus is Praying for You)

Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, prays for us. (Romans 8:26) (See The Holy Spirit is Praying for You)

We are helped

Those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior are given a Helper, the Spirit of Truth, who is with us and in us. (John 14:16–17) 

The Holy Spirit teaches us, guides us, and empowers us. (John 14:26–27, John 16:13, Acts 1:8)

We are loved

Nothing, nothing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35–39) 

He promised He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

He promised:  I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20) 

Be grateful

There are many more promises for us today, thank God! 

Let’s be grateful for His unchangeable, infallible word, and strive to live believing Him. 

The Last Word

Two young kids: “’Tis too.” “Tis not.” “Tis too.” “Tis not.”

Each wanted the last word. 

The desire to have the last word continues throughout life, usually more subtly. 

Psychologists posit reasons for this, and enumerate the personality types most likely to engage in it.

But we know … it comes from sin.

Rejection, rebellion, and blasphemy are forms of the unrighteous striving to have the last word. 

But, thank God, He has the last word!

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. (Romans 14:11) 

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and … every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10–11) 

So there!

Hallelujah!

Maranatha! Lord, Come!

We have an aroma

As believers, God manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

As we joyfully serve Him, we are a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.  (Philippians 4:18) 

We are a fragrance

For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:15–16) 

Our sweet aroma and the fragrance of our witness of Christ pleases God

For some, the fragrance of Christ in us will be a step towards their salvation.

For some, the fragrance of Christ in us will speak to them of their sin and eternal peril.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the world hates us

We shouldn’t be surprised at rejection, hate, and persecution.

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  (John 15:18–19) 

Strive to:

Manifest the knowledge of Christ.

Joyfully serve Him.

Be a fragrance that is well-pleasing to God.

Praise Him!

Lies

Lies and accusations of lying are falling like heavy rain

I don’t think any segment of our current lives is free from this plague, which demands our deliberation and discernment.

Be alert! Be careful!

Is it a lie?

Not all false statements are lies, which require an intent to deceive. Mistakes can be a problem, but they do not have the motive of deception. (See Mistake or Lie). Puffery and hyperbole can cause difficulty, but are generally expected in, say, advertising.

If we accuse someone of lying, we are judging the person’s character. Be careful! (See, for example, Matthew 5:22.) 

Lies are from Satan 

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) 

But we, believers, have laid aside our old selves with its evil practices. (Colossians 3:9)

God hates lies and false accusations

There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.  (Proverbs 6:16–19) 

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape.  (Proverbs 19:5)

Our responsibility

In this world, we face spiritual lies, secular lies, and mistakes.

Spiritually, we have the word of God, and the Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, guides us to all truth. We must know the Bible and be discerning.

From a secular point of view, we need to have our “lie meter” up and running, and we must be committed to the truth. We also must humbly realize that we cannot know everything about anything. 

Christ is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Let’s continue to strive to walk in a manner worthy of Him. (Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:12)

Where is Your Faith?

Jesus and the disciples launched out in a boat and Jesus fell asleep. A fierce gale came up and the boat began to be swamped. They were in danger. 

The disciples came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:24-25)

In these times of trouble, where is your faith?

My Boat is Swamping!

I sometimes feel my boat is being swamped.

Like the disciples I cannot do anything about the gale. I can bail the boat, protecting myself as best I can, but I cannot do anything about the health of family members, the economy, the virus itself, or about violence, looting, and arson. 

Lord, Help!

What I can do is call to Jesus Christ: “Help! My boat is swamping.”

I can determine to believe in His love and power. He is the one who controls the wind and waves.

I do believe; help my unbelief.  (Mark 9:24) 

Remember God

This has been quite a year … pandemic, economics woes, civil unrest, hurricanes, earthquakes, drought, flooding, heat, locusts, explosions, wildfires. 

More than eighty times in the Bible, God says He did something so that they would know He is God. 

Our Challenge

Our challenge is to look to Him, to know He is God.

In the image above, are you focusing on the horrible Colorado wildfire, or are you looking at the glorious Milky Way?

We must deliberately take time to focus on God, who He is, what He does, and who we (believers) are to Him. Slow down. Remember. 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.  (2 Timothy 2:8) 

Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonders to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and compassionate. (Psalm 111:2–4) 

Hope

As we remember Him, we have hope.

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21–23) 

Prayer

Father, please make Yourself known to us. Please let us know You are Almighty God. Please bring us to the realization that we are sinners and You are holy. Please make us mourn our sins and turn to You in repentance and belief. 

Are you worried about something?

What about?

Have you prayed about it? (See Exchanging Anxiety for Peace)

Still worried?

Don’t worry

Jesus tells us not to worry. (Matthew 6:24-34)

Why not worry? 

Jesus tells us why we are not to worry.

God is sovereign.  (Matthew 6:25-32; Luke 12:24-30)

You can’t do anything about many things, but God can do anything about everything.

Worry is lack of trust in Almighty God. (Luke 12:28)

Worry is a sin!

Worry takes your eyes off Jesus.

Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things … Mary has chosen the good part. (Luke 10:41-42) 

You cannot serve God and wealth  (Matthew 6:24)

Make sure your treasure is in heaven. Make sure heaven is where your heart is.  (Matthew 6:19-21)

If you’re serving wealth, you’ll worry.

If you’re serving God, you won’t worry.

Life is more than material things. (Luke 12:23)

What to do

Pray with thanksgiving, of course.

Determine to believe God loves you, is with you and for you, and that He is sovereign over all things.

Determine to put God first.

Determine to rejoice in His will. 

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) 

Questions to help understand your worry

Am I worried about something earthly?  

Am I worried about something God controls?

Is this something I can/should do something about?

Am I serving God with this worry?

Have I prayed? 

Prayer

Father, help us determine to seek You and Your kingdom first. Help us trust You in these challenging times, knowing that You love us, are working everything according to Your glorious plan, and that this will make us more into the image of Your Son. 

Exchange Anxiety for Peace

Are you anxious about something? Certainly, there are a lot of potential triggers: pandemic, illnesses, restrictions, and losses in your own family due to the virus, civil unrest, drought, floods, hurricanes, etc., etc., etc.

There is a way to get peace.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 4:6–7) 

It’s easy to ask God to deal with the things we are anxious about. And we should, of course.

But to get the peace of God, we must pray with thanksgiving.

That is probably harder.

Pray for help.

We, believers, children of God, know that the Father hears us. And we know that the Holy Spirit prays for us. And we know Jesus Christ prays for us.

Pray that God will intervene in the situation. Pray that God enables us to walk in His way through the situation.

Pray with trust and thanksgiving.

As you pray, remember who God is, what He has done, what you mean to Him, and the promises He has made to us.

Remember God is sovereign over everything and is working all things according to His holy will. 

Remember our almighty, loving sovereign has promised to work all things for good for us, including whatever you are anxious about. 

Thank Him that He is with you and for you. Thank Him that He is in control of what has made you anxious. Thank Him that He will use it for your good, perhaps intervening, perhaps sanctifying.

Thank Him that He is trustworthy.

Decide to trust Him. 

Decide to want His will.

And then the God of Peace, will bring you peace.

Want What God Wants

I want a righteous, prosperous, generous America. Is that what God wants?

Facts

• God is sovereign.

Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. (Psalm 115:3) 

• God is holy.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. (Revelation 4:8) 

• God rules the nations.

The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind. (Daniel 4:17, NASB95) 

• God has a glorious plan.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Revelation 21:3–4) 

• God is working His plan.

[God] works all things after the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11)

What I want doesn’t appear to be His plan.

Pray!

Almighty God, help me want what You want. Help me rejoice in Your power and Your love. Thank You that You hate sin. Thank You for Your righteous judgments. Thank You that You show mercy in the midst of judgment. Help me think, speak, and act as You direct me through these troubled times. Help me want what You want.