Simple Thoughts On Promises

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Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 16:20)

God emphasized the word "justice" here and wanted the Israelites to obey his laws and be just in their dealings, so that they could possess the promised land. But many of them were corrupt including priest and prophet.

Our God is a "just God". He is just in his dealings with mankind. He expects his children also to be just in their dealings.

The Apostle Paul writes,
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. (Philippians 2:14, 15)

Crooked and depraved generation...perfect words to describe our generation.

Yet, God expects us to be blameless and pure children. Is it possible? With the help of the Holy Spirit, Yes. By ourselves, No.
That's why Jesus said,
The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13)

God will definitely bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night. He will not keep putting them off, because he is a "just God".
 
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Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)


God asks for purity in the lives of believers and there is always a blessing attached to them who strive to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Not an easy task but achievable with the help of the Holy Spirit. Of course, sins and short comings do come in the lives of all believers, but God is always willing to forgive and help us go forward.

The Church at Sardis in Asia Minor during the days of John the Apostle, had a few faithful believers and it was accounted by the Lord. But most of the people in the Church there were in a bad spiritual condition and this is what God had to say to them,
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. (Revelation 3:1)

God wanted to them to repent and said,
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. (Revelation 3:2)

He also issued a warning if they did not repent.
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Revelation 3:3)

Sadly, they did not repent and the Church did not last very long. But the faithful were promised by God with this eternal promise:
They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)

To us the Holy Spirit says,
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3:5)

May the Lord Jesus Christ help us all in this endeavour.
 
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Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 1:8)


Called to the work of the Lord at a very young age, Jeremiah was anxious of how he was going to fulfill the Lord's commission. But we read of God assuring him that he would be with him.

Not only Jeremiah, God assured many of his chosen ones that he would be with them and help them to fulfill his plans in their lives.
Here's the assurance he gave to Jacob,
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15)

And this is what he told Moses,
"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Exodus 33:14)

The Lord God who assured Jeremiah, Jacob and Moses is with you too as you do his work of building his kingdom.

We must never forget what Jesus told his disciples when he entrusted them with the Great Commission. He said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Yes, he is with us always, to the very end of the age. Praise the Lord.
 
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If you return to the Lord, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. (2 Chronicles 30:9)



Hezekiah, when he was king of Judah, sent word to all Israel and Judah, requesting them to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord, according to the law, because they had not kept it in great numbers. So runners went with letters from the king through all Israel and Judah, saying, "O children of Israel, come back again to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may come again to you who have been kept safe out of the hands of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were sinners against the Lord, so that he made them a cause of fear. Now do not be hard-hearted, as your fathers were; but give yourselves to the Lord, and come into his holy place, which he has made his for ever, and be the servants of the Lord your God, so that the heat of his wrath may be turned away from you."

Hezekiah ended by saying,
If you return to the Lord, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.

The last part of the above verse is so very true. God does not turn his face from those who return to him. Yes, God is compassionate and forgiving, and he doesn't turn his face from those who repent of their sins and back-sliding.

If you have been unfaithful to the Lord in your walk with him, God is calling you today to repent and come back to him so that he can have sweet fellowship with you again. God Bless.
 
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I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2)


This was one of the many promises given to Abraham when God commanded him to get out of idol worship and serve him. God wanted him to separate himself from his own people and make himself available to pursue God's goals in his life. And that is exactly what he did.

You may have set up many goals for yourself to pursue but it's always best to find out what goals God wants you to pursue and then fulfill them with God's help and guidance.

The goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls and to this end we must keep our eyes fixed. Of course, Satan may bring hindrances as we set out to pursue God given goals but we must overcome them with prayer and faith. King Herod was a hindrance to Jesus fulfilling the goals that God had set for him and regarding this Jesus said with faith:
Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' (Luke 13:32)

We must press on towards the God given goals in our life. The Apostle Paul had this to say regarding his goal which was attaining the resurrection from the dead.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:12)

Let's all then press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us. God bless.
 
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All these were sons of Heman the king's seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. (1 Chronicles 25:5)


King David, together with the commanders of his army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying. The Bible gives a list of 14 sons of Heman and then we read, "All these were sons of Heman the king's seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters."

Notice the part of the title verse that says, "They (sons) were given him through the promises of God to exalt him."

There are some in our generation who consider "children" a burden and a nuisance and some choose not to have children though they are married. Here, "children" were a gift from God to Heman the seer.

Do you consider your child/children as a gift from God?

We read in Psalm 127;
Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. (v3)

Do you consider your child/children, a heritage and reward from the Lord?

And about "grand-children", the Bible says,
Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6)

As a parent...Are you the pride of your child/children?

Many questions to be answered here! Hope your decisions and answers match well with the Word of God. God Bless.
 
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I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)


This is one of the great promises of the New Testament. Jesus here, was telling his disciples that they were going to be clothed with power from on high. The disciples must have wondered what kind of power this could be. They had seen power flow from Jesus all through the time that he was with them. Could there be anything new? Jesus wanted them to stay in the city and wait for it. They obeyed him and so they could experience the power first hand. This is how Luke, the physician, writes;

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 1:14, 2:1-4)

Have you been clothed on from high? Jesus told his disciples before ascending to heaven;
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

And after the disciples were clothed with power from on high, the Bible says,
With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the LORD Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)

Even regarding Jesus, Luke writes;
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:38)

You need to be clothed from on high, to be constantly victorious in your war against sin and satan. May the Lord grant you that great blessing if you have still not received it. God Bless.
 
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But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children--with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. (Psalms 103:17,18)


Serving God faithfully, yet worried about your children or their future? Here's a great promise for you, even though it's from the Old Testament.

God really cares about your children; even more than you ever can. Here are a few other promises about your children because you fear the Lord and obey his Word.

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.(Psalms 112:1, 2)
He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. (Proverbs 14:26)
The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him. (Proverbs 20:7)

Do you believe that?

King David, the great psalmist gives his testimony in this manner:
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. (Psalms 37:25,26)

The Lord is true to his promises and he will never fail you. God Bless.
 
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For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)


Paul, the Apostle, exhorts young Timothy to focus on spiritual things rather than the physical. He doesn't condemn physical training and we shouldn't either because it is our duty to take care of our physical body which is the temple of God. But an over emphasis on the physical can be distractive and divert our attentions to the non-spiritual aspects of life.

Paul lays an emphasis on godliness which in essence means having great reverence for God. He says that it has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. It's very true because the physical body that we have will not last forever but our spiritual bodies will live on forever in eternity with God if we live a life obeying the Word Of God.

Paul again exhorts him saying,
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11)

Flee from worldly desires, especially the love of money is what Paul advices him here. Instead pursue things of much value in God's sight namely righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. A fine lesson for all of us who are waiting for eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

Let us not forget this day that....His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)
Praise the Lord.
 
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"Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king. Now do it! For the LORD promised David, 'By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.' " (2 Samuel 3:17, 18)


Abner, here, is reminding the elders of Israel what God had promised David. David was to be king over all the land and he was going to rescue the Israelites from their enemies. David had been anointed king over the house of Judah, but not as king of all Israel. Things had not progressed as David would have desired but God was at work. Abner, who was on Saul's side defected to David's side because of an argument with Saul's son Ishbosheth. Thus started a process by which David would be king. Abner was murdered by Joab, because Abner had killed his brother Asahel. Ishbosheth was murdered later on by Baanah and Recab, leaders of his raiding bands.

Then the Bible says,
All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' " When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. (2 Samuel 5:1-5)

God's promises to David that he would be king over all Israel were fulfilled, not partly, but fully, in God's time.

His promises to you regarding any matter will also be fulfilled totally in his wonderful time. Keep praying.
 
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And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3:17)


The Israelites were in a miserable condition in Egypt. 430 years of slavery. Pain, injury and shame were their wages for working hard. And God decided to end it all.
Long before all these years of slavery, God had spoken to Abraham regarding this bondage and the redemption. He said,
"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions." (Genesis 15:13, 14)
And it happened exactly as God said.

What God promises, he brings about at his appointed time and no one can stop him. The
Psalmist says,
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.(Psalms 119:140)

Again in Psalms 145, we read,
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. (v13)

Even in your life, If God has promised you something, he will bring it to fulfillment, because the Bible says,
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Shall we say an "Amen" to that!
 
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Isaiah answered, "This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps? (2 Kings 20:9)


Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD."

Then Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?" And to this question, Isaiah gave the reply that we read in the title verse. Isaiah told him that the Lord will give him a sign...in the form of a miracle....LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz (the sundial of Ahaz) .

Are you waiting for a sign from the Lord regarding a promise that the Lord has given you? It will come soon. You will see a miracle. Keep praying, for the Lord is at work. He will fulfill his promise to you.
 
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Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. (Deuteronomy 6:18)


Why is it so important to do what is right and good in the Lord's sight? Moses, here says that, it is intimately related to your wellbeing and the Lord's promise being fulfilled in your life.

Regarding a couple of kings of Judah, the Bible says,
Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.(2 Chronicles 14:2)
This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.(2 Chronicles 31:20)

All the years that these kings did good and right, the Lord blessed them abundantly, rescued them from their enemies and gave them peace. But later on when they did wrong and did not trust in God, they paid the price for it.

In his latter years as king, Asa chose to befriend a wicked king and God sent a prophet to him who said,
"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."

King Hezekiah did an foolish thing of showing off all his treasures and riches to the envoys of a wicked Babylonian king and God had this to say to him,
The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.(2 Kings 20:17)

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Philippians exhorts them in this manner:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

To the Church at Thessalonica, he again writes,
And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.(2 Thessalonians 3:13)

Surely, doing good and right is a pleasant sacrifice in the sight of the Lord and his blessings will be upon them that do so.
 
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Sovereign LORD, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.(Luke 2:29)


During the days of Jesus' birth, there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the LORD's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign LORD, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Notice the part where it says, "Sovereign LORD, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace." Simeon indicates that he was just a servant waiting for a promise to be fulfilled in his life and then he could die peacefully. In other words, he wouldn't die till the promise was fulfilled. So he had to pray that it would happen. God made him pray.

Sometimes God does press upon some believers to intercede for others and their blessings would depend upon how they go about interceding for the people that God had asked them to intercede for. If you have been called to pray and intercede for others and you are slack in doing so, your own blessings may be hindered. There are others who when called to intercede, live the "Jonah life" and then undergo the "Jonah experiences".

Job, the Old Testament saint, was an intercessor.
God told Job's friends, "My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz, Bildad,and Zophar did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

If you are called to intercede, be faithful. Your blessings depend on your intercession.
 
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We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12)


"Imitate them who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." That's what the author of Hebrews prescribes us as medicine if we happen to be lazy.
Here's some more pep talk from the author of Proverbs for the lazy...
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (Proverbs 10:4)
The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.(Proverbs 12:27)

Some believers dilly-dally a lot with regard to worship, prayer, meditation of the Word and eventually stagnate in their spiritual lives. They never seem to make up their minds regarding building their spiritual lives.
King Solomon wrote,
If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. (Ecclesiastes 10:18)

There are many a leaking spiritual houses these days. Like Jonah who disobeyed God's command to go to Nineveh. When he was asked who he was, while on his way to Tarshish on a ship, he replied,
"I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."(Jonah 1:9)

Mostly true, but there are a couple of hidden things in that statement...like his disobedience and rebellion.
So, how's your spiritual life? Are the rafters sagging?

The Bible exhorts us,
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus exhorts us,
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11)

Let's give ear to the Holy Spirit's voice in these final days....and......"Imitate them who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
 
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Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? (Numbers 11:12)


Frustrations come easily in this earthly sojourn of ours, and Moses, the man chosen by God to lead the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, was no exception. The constant bickering that he had to endure from the Israelites in the wilderness frustrated him no end and the dam burst forth one day and Moses cried out to the Lord........
"Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let me face my own ruin." (Numbers 11:11-15)

Quite pithy statements, I would say.

I think we have all felt like Moses sometime or the other in our lives too. He told God that the burden was too heavy upon him. He wanted to die. And there were several occasions where he desired to die....for several reasons.

But God had some instant answers for Moses.
The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone. (Numbers 11:16,17)

Wow! That would have been a big relief to Moses.
God saw his plea for assistance justifiable and provided a wonderful solution.

Is your plea justifiable in the Lord's sight? If yes, "Do not worry." He has a solution at hand. And you will see and experience it in your life very soon. Praise God for what you are about to receive. Yes, "Praise God."
 
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But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:22)


Have you read this verse before? It very clearly states the condition of the present world; meaning it's inhabitants collectively....A PRISONER OF SIN. Not all are prisoners though. There is a minority for whom the promise of eternal life will be fulfilled because they believe in salvation through Jesus Christ.

Long ago, during the days of Noah, the world had become a prisoner of sin and God destroyed it with a flood. The Bible says,
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them." (Genesis 6:5-7)

And now again, the world has become A PRISONER OF SIN. And this is what the Bible has to say regarding this prisoner.
"By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:7)

Judgement and destruction is definite. So what must one do?

The Apostle Peter exhorts us in this manner,
"The LORD is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the LORD will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming."(2 Peter 3:9-12)

Summing it up, he writes,
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13)

The promise will be fulfilled for those who have trusted in Jesus and are living for him. Praise the Lord.
 
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You may ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. (Leviticus 25:20, 21)


The faithfulness of God is revealed in this promise from him to the Israelites. The Lord had earlier given this command to the Israelites through Moses:
"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you - for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you,
While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. (Leviticus 25:2-6)

The seventh year was to be a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. The Israelites perhaps asked this question among themselves, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" It would have been a natural question so as to say, nothing unusual. Something like, if the Lord told you not to work for a year, when you have been living on your hard earned wages all through the past several years. "What will we eat if we don't work?"

Perhaps the Lord heard them asking the question and he spoke to them, assuring them that he was a just God when he asked them to keep his decrees. He said,
You may ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.

Now, you can't beat the Almighty when it comes to "giving". As someone said, "You can't out give God."

"A blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years." Isn't that wonderful....And God also promised,
While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. (Leviticus 25:22)

No doubt, all this is from the Old Testament. But remember, God has not changed. He loves you. He asks for obedience even today. He will surely bless you if you obey him without questioning. Praise the Lord.
 
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 320

O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever. (2 Samuel 7:29, 29)


King David was overwhelmed with the plethora of promises that the Lord gave him through the prophet Nathan and here he acknowledges God’s faithfulness and prays for God to bless him and his descendants continually. The promises given him were awesome. God told him,
1) I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.
2) I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.
3) I will give you rest from all your enemies.
4) I will establish a house for you.
5) When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
6) Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

God is faithful in all that he says and does. As David says here, “His words are trustworthy”. He does not go back on the promises that he makes if we remain faithful to him. Many promises are conditional and require us to obey him in what he has told us. There are other promises that he gives and fulfills because it is his absolute will. Like here we see God proclaiming that David’s son would be the one who would build God’s temple and it was fulfilled by Solomon building it.

Another thing noticeable here is David repeatedly acknowledging that he is God’s servant. You and me, we too are God’s servants; put here on earth in our places to fulfill God’s plans through us. Shall we then be faithful in our callings, so that God may bless us and our families as he blessed David? Praise the Lord.
 
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