Tag: trustworthy

God’s Promises

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture2 Comments

Have you ever promised someone something that you fully intended to do, but then life got in the way and you couldn’t keep your promise? If that has happened to you, as it has to me, then you know that the person to whom you made the promise is disappointed and so are you. I have learned from experience to tell people that I can’t make a promise, but I will do my best to fulfill a commitment.

God keeps all of His promises, a statement that is hard for us to comprehend. The God of the Universe doesn’t make promises He cannot keep, so we can trust Him to follow His own Word.

There are many studies online about God’s promises. There are books written about God’s promises. There are testimonies of God’s keeping His promises and churches built because of a promise that God made to a group of people. You can just type God’s promises into a search engine and multiple results will follow.

Examples from Online Search Engine:

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-are-god-s-promises-in-the-bible.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/promises-of-God.html

https://www.openbible.info/topics/gods_promises

As helpful as search engines are, I prefer to go to the source and search out the promises of God myself. I have found in clinging to the promises of God, it is helpful to memorize them so that when the hard times come, they are hidden in my heart and I can remind myself of what God has said about my situation. Nothing in my life catches God by surprise, and He has already provided an answer for me in His Word. I just have to know it in order to be able to lean into the power of His promises.

Read verse 20 for the context of this verse. The “he” is Abraham, the one with whom God made a covenant that He kept in spite of Abraham’s humanity and mistakes. You don’t think Abraham made mistakes? Check out his journey and the two times he pretended Sarah was not his wife. In spite of Abraham’s failings, God kept His promise to him and made a great nation from him.

And in spite of our failings, God will keep His promises to us. I don’t want anyone to think that this is a “name it and claim it” post. I personally don’t believe in that philosophy. What I do believe in is God’s power and trustworthiness. When I need Him to comfort me or give me strength, He is right there, because His Word says He will be. When I am anxious, He speaks peace to me through His Word. How can I depend on a God whom I cannot see? Because He has shown me in His Word and throughout my life that He is with me and will be with me to the end. God is a promise keeper and if I want to be more like Him, I need to keep my promises. That is a commitment I plan to keep…to be careful about what I promise because the God of the Universe is listening in an watching what I will do to keep my word, just as He always keeps His.

God Never Breaks Promises

On By vickleaIn promises, ScriptureLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/15112/day/5

As a child, I was always devastated when one of my parents made a promise and then broke it. It did not matter to me that there were “circumstances beyond their control” or that finances had suddenly become an issue. What mattered to me was the promise. As humans, sometimes we speak too quickly and make promises that we do not or cannot keep. The problem is that we judge God’s promises by our human standards. We have things backwards! God’s promises are our standards because He has shown us how to always keep a promise. As the devotional points out, God established the Abrahamic Covenant and kept that promise a thousand years later when He freed His people from slavery in Egypt and let them to the promised land. His promise to us today is that Jesus is returning and we will go to be with Him. As I age, I am holding on to that promise as well as the others like God being with me always and never forsaking me, about His peace that He gives, about His never-ending love and patience with me. What promise is special to you that God gave you and that you are holding on to? There are so many! God is faithful and will remember and fulfill all of His promises, and that is a truth that we can count on.

God Is Our Helper

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/44512/day/1

When I first became a Christian over five decades ago, I thought, in my lack of real understanding, that one of the things that I could expect is that there would be no more problems in my life. Ha! I quickly found out that challenges in life continue, but it is our attitude towards them that changes once we are Christians. Left alone in a new place while my new husband was deployed, I faced loneliness, but God sent a friend who needed a place to live, so Rhonda moved in with me. Finding out I was pregnant and my husband was gone, I was devastated and frightened, but the Lord sent a church family to stand beside me and help me. God is good and sends what we need when we need it, never late and never early, but always just on time.

We know we have the ultimate victory, so whatever happens on earth is temporary and cannot stop us spending eternity with Jesus. The kinds of challenges I have in life changes as I age, but the truth of God’s Word stands forever. Achy, moving slowly and creaking as I go, I am still moving onward with God, knowing that He holds my future and He is trustworthy.

Write This Down

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

I don’t know about you but when I was in school, I often heard teachers say, “Write this down.” Those who were half asleep usually perked up because they realized that what the teacher was saying would be useful information for a future test or quiz. I even used similar words with my own students, drawing their attention to what I was saying so that they would not miss it.

God inspired John to write the Book of Revelation and in this verse, He specifically tells John to “Write this down.” What is God drawing our attention to? What does He not want us to miss? The fact that He is going to make everything new…everything! God is totally truthful and trustworthy and if says it, it will happen. So, when He says to “write it down” He is making sure our eyes are open, our ears are listening and that we are ready to receive an important message. We can worry and fret over all of the events in the world, over all of the godlessness of mankind and over all of the challenges we have in life. But when we read and meditate on this verse, it all becomes inconsequential. One day, God will make everything new. He said it, I believe it and I’m looking forward to that day!

Have a blessed day with your eyes fixed on the One who will make everything new!

Thankful that God Is Trustworthy

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

I have to be completely honest about the recent election. I have been bummed out about the lack of morality shown in the choices of the people. It seems that not only has the U.S. turned its back on God, we are also thumbing our noses at Him and daring Him to respond. But as I read my devotional this morning, a few Scriptures calmed my mind and heart.

No matter the results of the election or who controls the White House or Congress, God is ultimately in charge. He never stepped off His throne and released it to the control of anyone, regardless of their political affiliation. Praise God for the freedom in this truth!

God has reigned since Creation and is still on the throne. Where has God been during the chaos of the recent election? Still on His throne. God does not always approve of mankind’s choices but He does allow us to make them. One day, He will judge all because of those choices and we need to acknowledge His authority now. God won’t be asking us if we are Democrat, Republican or Independent. He just wants to know if we sincerely believe that He is our God, the Only One who sent a Savior to redeem us. He deserves our worship and our trust because He alone is completely trustworthy.

The most comforting verse for me this morning is this one. God has not forsaken us and never will because we trust in Him. He is in control and is totally trustworthy. He doesn’t make promises and break them as the politicians do. He is not interested in “feathering his own nest” or making back room deals. God can be trusted with so much, ultimately including the destination of our souls. He promised and He can be trusted. And for that, I am thankful.

May your day be one filled with awe at the fact that our trustworthy God is in control so we need not fear, just trust.