Sunday, October 16, 2011

God’s Promises for You

2 Corinthians 1:20, “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.” NIV

The promise of God is always for you and never against you. It will be for our benefit to know them and to provide a canopy of strength and courage during difficult times. But most especially, let the promises of God become a rock-hard source of everyday power to face all kinds of situation. We only need to glance at the newsprint and hear news media of varying degrees of corruption caused by human nature imprinted with sin to recognize the need for God’s intervention. This is where God’s promises allow us to rise above all of it without being distant to the reality of where we are. People need a better promise that can be fulfilled without being influenced by personal desires. Many have done so but a promise backed-up by God will always prevail.

Here’s a story to illustrate God’s wisdom: Once there was a man who asked God for a flower and a butterfly. But instead God gave him a cactus and a caterpillar. The man was sad. He didn't understand why his prayer was not answered. Then he thought, "Oh well, God has too many people to care for," and he decided not to question. After some time, the man went to check up on the cactus and the caterpillar. To his surprise, from the thorny and ugly cactus, a beautiful flower had grown. And the unsightly caterpillar had been transformed into the most beautiful butterfly. What is the lesson that we all can learn from this simple story? It is that God always does things right. His way is always the best way, even if it seems all wrong to us. If you asked God for one thing and received another, trust Him. He will give you what you need at the appropriate time. What you want is not always what you need. Today's thorn is tomorrow's flower.

Remember that the enemy will always cause us to doubt God’s promises both in good times and bad times. Therefore, never give him a chance to do so. How do we do it? Keep hearing the promise of God and receive them with faith. When we do, our perspective of life will change significantly with a great impact in all aspects of our life. Try it and you will never be the same again. God’s promise yields a tremendous blessing in all season. Furthermore, it speaks to all levels of our concerns. The greatest about it is this: that it is given for all generations to come and for all eternity. And living life with a sense of awareness of God’s promise provides a great source of hope and inspiration. Though we are faced with challenges that may overwhelm us, yet holding on to God’s promises will propel us to soar higher that we can ever be. I, too live daily with constant reminder of God’s promises. Somebody counted that there are at least 7, 700 promises written in the Scriptures. How many do you know? Having such a memory for all of these promises might take a lifetime but to remember what we need in every situation is handy. Actually, one is enough to release a ray of hope and joy to a weary soul.

One promise that I have always treasured and find solace is Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (NIV) There is so much truth in this and there is no other place in this planet that can really grant rest like what Jesus can offer. This is always available to those that will desire it and will never be denied. Remember that we have promises from God that do not expire and they work best at the direst situations of life. C’mon, it is always available and easily accessible whenever we open the Scriptures. Men’s promises fail us but God’s promises will not and will never fail. Guaranteed!

Let’s talk again!