Promises of God

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#945 Losing a Loved One – Comfort in God’s Word

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Made in the image of God and having our own individuality, we each express our emotions differently.  “Experts” say there are different stages in the grief process, but the “experts” cannot agree on the number or identification of the stages.  We who know Christ as Savior will likewise go through different stages of grief upon losing a loved one; however, our ultimate comfort comes from God and His Word, not through our own efforts.  In 2004, a gentleman, his wife being out of town at the time, learned of his brother’s passing.  Being physically alone, he felt God’s comforting presence through the reading of Scripture, spending the rest of the day searching for passages on grief.  Applying God’s promise to each verse and praying those promises, he writes, “I have not grieved hard for my brother but remember the good times we had together.”[1]  Our grieving process may not be as short, but God’s Word can provide needed comfort to all.

As Jesus’ tears for Lazarus were the result of great love, never attempt to hide your emotions when grieving for a loved one!

“Lament and mourn and weep!  Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”   (James 4:9-10)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Personal email received December 8, 2012

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#565 Patience – God Answers Prayer

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We spend a lot of time in prayer, praying for our needs and desires, claiming God’s promise to answer our prayers, and fully expecting to receive an answer quickly.  We have faith that His promises are genuine and that He will absolutely fulfill every one He has made; therefore, we automatically expect an answer shortly after the prayers have been uttered.  Immediate answers not coming forth create a crisis within our heart.  We may begin to doubt the promises of God’s Word that He will answer our prayers which then may lead to doubting other promises in His Word which then may lead to doubting God Himself which then may lead to our prayer life and Christian walk being hindered.  God’s timing is perfect; He answers our prayers in accordance with His will, in a manner that will reflect honor and glory upon Him, be best for our walk with Him, and in His perfect timing.  Sometimes, this requires patience, waiting for His answer to come which may be a few days, months or even years, but He will fulfill His promise of answering.

Don’t get impatient with God when He does not answer your prayers quickly, He knows what is best and when is best for you!

“And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.”  (Jeremiah 42:7)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#534 Serving the Lord (I Peter 4:11) – Claiming This Verse Personally

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Do you let God’s Word speak to you personally, obediently applying it to your life, and allowing it to change the way you serve the Lord?  We recently received an email from a Christian gentleman and devotional recipient who has done this.  He is a cancer survivor who has gone through brain surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, all of which have left him continually exhausted.  Yet, he has faithfully served the Lord, most recently as part of Disaster Relief Teams.  He testifies concerning I Peter 4:11, one of his life verses:  “This verse helped me understand that I could not serve the Lord in my strength and be successful.  It was only when I claimed the promise of His Word and called upon Jehovah-Jireh for the strength the Lord promises and provides that I was able to physically serve Him so that all glory and praise went to Jesus.”[1]  Each of us can have the same results when we serve the Lord in His strength and give Him all the honor and glory!

Examine your service for the Lord.  Is it done in your strength or the Lord’s strength?  Do you receive the glory or does the Lord receive all the honor and glory?  Let I Peter 4:11 be your guide in serving the Lord! 

“Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:  To whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”   (Galatians 1:4-5)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Email received from devotional recipient concerning I Peter 4:11

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#523 Celebrating Freedom – Glorious Real Freedom

 Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 Jesus shows those of us who have been captured by the wages of sin that we are servants of sin, but He also shows a way out of the bondage of sin into a life of freedom.  As the Son of God living forever with God in heaven, Jesus not only has the authority and power to release us from the bondage but also offers us deliverance into freedom.  Upon His death on the cross He has taken all of that sin upon Himself and cancelled our debt of sin that we who accept Him by faith and repentance may be free and no longer servants or bond-slaves to the sin.  By His grace, we then become children of God, no longer servants.  When Christ makes us free, we are really free, an absolute certainty of the truth of the promise He has given of freedom.  Those in the throes of sin like to feel they are free, but only those whom Christ has made free are truly free.

 If you have experienced the glorious freedom from sin that only Christ can provide, rejoice and share with others what the Lord has done for you!

 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”  (John 8:36)

 May God Richly Bless You Today

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#506 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – A Glorious God’s Grace

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Another promise that we have from God is that He will hear the people even while they are speaking.  There is no time when God does not hear our prayers and petitions and begin His work of grace.  God answered the prayers of Paul and Silas even while they were praying and singing praises to God when they were in prison in Phillipi.[1]  This has continued to happen since that time with God blessing and working in revivals even while people of God were praying to Him for revival; a two-week revival becoming a month-long revival and a start of a new church,[2] and countless other revivals that have swept not only cities but even countries.  We as Christians should feel blessed and privileged that we have a heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers, and we should be faithful in spending our time in prayer, not just for our own needs and desires but for revival to spread in our cities, states, and countries.

Are you praying daily for revival and the salvation of your family and friends?

“And while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”  (Isaiah 65:24b)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Acts 16:25-26

[2]Abingdon,Virginia, in 1954

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#505 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – A Glorious Relationship of Prayer

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our God is faithful, and Isaiah tells the extent our relationship will be with God, whether in the millennial kingdom or in the eternal new heavens and new earth, a relationship that indeed will be glorious.  The personal relationships mentioned by Isaiah are ones that we have the privilege of having today.  Just as today, prayer will be an integral part of the new creation of God, and so close is the contact between God and His people through prayer in that day that God will anticipate their desires, see their needs, and grant them the blessings they need.  Today, God anticipates our needs before our prayers and provides us answers for which we have not yet directly asked Him by laying the foundation and means for granting the needs.  When we think of daily blessings we receive from God, many, if not the majority, are those we have not directly asked of Him.  God’s grace is entirely sufficient for His people.

In the next few days, notice the blessings God bestows upon you, thinking of how many of them you have asked of Him, and then thank Him for each one of them!  

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer.”  (Isaiah 65:24a)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#504 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – A Glorious Longevity

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Isaiah does not seem to distinguish in this chapter between the millennialkingdomofGodand the eternal state which is considered the new heavens and new earth, probably seeing them together as one.  We know that in the eternal new heavens and new earth there will be no sin and death, whereas in the Millennium there will be sin and death though life spans will be as trees which run many centuries old.  Though a person dies at a century, he will be as a youth and it will be because of sin; even though Satan will not be present in the millennial kingdom sin will be present and judged.  This longevity will be accompanied by safety, peace, plenty, and the comforts of life, all because no enemy will deprive anyone of the privilege of these blessings.  Let’s continue tomorrow by seeing our relationship with God during this period.

Just reading about what God has promised for the future should give us the longing to share His Word with as many as possible!

“There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days:  for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.  And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.  They shall not build, and another inhabits; they shall not plant, and another eat:  for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.”  (Isaiah 65:20-22)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#502 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – A Glorious Creation

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As Isaiah describes the new heavens and new earth, we come to realize how glorious it will be.  We think of amazing places and things seen here on earth, natural places such as the Grand Canyon, beautiful water falls like Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls, great mountains like the Alps and Grand Tetons, and man-made wonders like the Great Wall of China and beautiful gardens like Butchart Gardens; all of which we fly or drive thousands of miles to see.  Countries of the world with great prosperity and high living standards build more and greater edifices, fancier and more powerful vehicles and spacecraft.  All of these impress us to the extent we feel the beauty and magnificence cannot be matched or exceeded; however, the new heavens and new earth will be so spectacular that all of these present, amazing places and things will be forgotten without our even missing them.  But it is not only the beauty and magnificence that make it so glorious; it is how we are going to experience our time there.  We will look at some of that aspect of the new heavens and new earth tomorrow.

Imagine the most beautiful place you have ever been and the grandest man-made wonder you have ever seen, and then imagine new heavens and new earth that will cause you to forget what you have previously seen! 

“But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create:” (Isaiah 65:18a)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#500 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – Hope and Promise for the Future

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Having received reasons for God’s displeasure at their evil deeds, the Israelites are given by God a description of the difference between those who were faithful in keeping His commandments and those who did rebel and defy Him.[1]  The former would have His favor and abundance while the latter would draw His displeasure and suffer in poverty, grief, and want.  God made it plain that judgment would follow those who chose against Him while hope and promise for the future would follow those who were faithful to Him.  The preciousness of this promise to the faithful Israelites is that their failures, judgments, and disasters would be put in the past; they would again worship the true God, receive the favor of Him, and recognize the prosperity from doing so.  We as Christians have a precious promise also:  as we accept Christ and repent from our sins, God is faithful to forgive, blotting the sins from our record, giving us a right relationship with Him.

Think today of how blessed it is to know that as a Christian your sins have been forgiven, put behind us, and forgotten by God!

“That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.”  (Isaiah 65:16)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Isaiah 65:13-15

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#499 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – Lessons from Evil Doers VI

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Israelites not only failed to listen to God’s call and His speaking to them, they persisted on doing evil in His sight and failing to do the things that would delight Him.  Their ways were in directed disobedience to His commands and laws as they not only worshipped their idols, but lived lives of debauchery and heathenism.  He gave them fair warnings of judgments of death and ruin along with fair promises of life and happiness, yet they chose to ignore both.  Their evil was done deliberately, not accidently; their lives were patterned to delight themselves, not God.  That is the way it is when people fail to choose God’s way, they persist in sin and those things that do not please Him.  Sin is evil in God’s eyes, yet many continue to sin right before Him.  To honor and please God, and to avoid judgment, we first must accept His salvation, then live lives that delight Him, following His footsteps and continually striving to become more and more Christlike.

Strive to delight God in everything you say and do!

“He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.”  (Psalm 18:19)

May God Richly Bless You Today