Our Sunday morning Bible class is
studying the topic of Promises to us as Christians. We are looking at the
positive side of what our Christian life is all about. I don't know about you,
but I need that reinforcement. Far too often I seem to concentrate on the "thou
shalt not's" and not nearly enough on the positive aspect of our
relationship to God. What is it that you concentrate upon? Where are your
prayers centered? Do we pray that the bumps in the road be smoothed, or that we
can endure the bumps as they come? Truth be told, a lot of what we are willing
to endure depends upon what the rewards at the end of the journey. Often it is
all about the promise....
We have a member of our family a little 7 pound dog named Chewy. She listens to our promises and remembers. We tell her, "Go potty and we'll give you a treat". She remembers... We tell her, "We're going to church and when we get back we'll give you a treat". She remembers (and if you forget she reminds you). At times, just the mention of the treat has her wagging from the tip of her tail to the tip of her nose.
What promises from God are special to you? What is it that you remember no matter what happens in your life? Which ones make you tingle with excitement? There are so many verses that deal with promises. One of my favorites is Romans 8:28, where Paul reminds us that no matter what is going on in our lives, in the end it will work out to good if we love and trust God. Or perhaps in 1 John 1:7-10, where John reminds us, that if we are God's child, his blood continually cleanses us from all sin. Also, no matter how we mess up, if we will truly repent and ask for forgiveness, he will forgive us. And of course his promise that someday we will be with him in heaven, no more vision problems, no more hearing problems, no more body aches or failure of body parts to respond (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Everything is going to be brand new and as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, "and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
We have a member of our family a little 7 pound dog named Chewy. She listens to our promises and remembers. We tell her, "Go potty and we'll give you a treat". She remembers... We tell her, "We're going to church and when we get back we'll give you a treat". She remembers (and if you forget she reminds you). At times, just the mention of the treat has her wagging from the tip of her tail to the tip of her nose.
What promises from God are special to you? What is it that you remember no matter what happens in your life? Which ones make you tingle with excitement? There are so many verses that deal with promises. One of my favorites is Romans 8:28, where Paul reminds us that no matter what is going on in our lives, in the end it will work out to good if we love and trust God. Or perhaps in 1 John 1:7-10, where John reminds us, that if we are God's child, his blood continually cleanses us from all sin. Also, no matter how we mess up, if we will truly repent and ask for forgiveness, he will forgive us. And of course his promise that someday we will be with him in heaven, no more vision problems, no more hearing problems, no more body aches or failure of body parts to respond (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Everything is going to be brand new and as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, "and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
--Russ Lawson
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