God Keeps His Promises
Adapted from Treasures of Faith
Sharon and Chuck Betters
Today’s Treasure
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 1:3
Believing God exists and is in control of all things is not enough. Believing God is in control sometimes results in deeper pain unless we also believe that God keeps His promises and that:
He rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
Faith gives us eyes to see what is invisible to others. Where others see only suffering, faith enables us to see God's hand drawing us to Himself.
The Westminster Shorter Confession teaches us that “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, unchangeable, and in his being, wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and truth.” Such a God is someone we can trust to keep his promises
In addition to God's many promises that are in the process of being fulfilled, His promise to provide salvation for His children has already been fulfilled through Christ. Because God has kept this, the greatest of all promises, we are able to enjoy all God has supplied for us. God's promise of salvation is the cornerstone of the covenant of grace (Hebrews 10:1 – 18). The writer of Hebrews declares:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the House of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19-22
We can hear the writer exclaiming:
Therefore, in light of this amazing truth about God's grace, enjoy what God has provided for you! Thus we can…
Confidently pursue intimacy with our heavenly Father (verses 19 through 22).
Unswervingly believe the promises of God (verse 23).
Cultivate fellowship with other believers that encourages perseverance (verses 24 through 25).
Choose to believe what is right (verses 26 through 31).
Remember God's past faithfulness in the joy of ministry verses (verses 32- 34)
Persevere by keeping our eyes fixed on eternal values (verses 35 – 39)
Be assured that God will not always seem absent (verse 37).
Rather than responses born merely of obligation, these are responses based on God's proclamation of who He is. It is a call to know God so well that we believe He is present and at work even when we cannot see him.
Joan explains how God is enabling her to respond to His love in just this way:
Broken is a good way to describe my world. Alzheimer's stole my husband's mind. I finally gave into what was inevitable and with a shattered heart, I placed him in a nursing home. Within the same timeframe, I was terminated from a 14-year teaching position and also learned my daughter’s husband left her with two young girls to raise. God used all of this as a means to build within me His love and kingdom. Endless hours of studying the Scriptures enabled me to focus on God's many promises. I learned to praise God. In the context of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, He gave me the privilege to “comfort those in any trouble (especially the trouble of Alzheimer’s) with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” God has also given me a special Christian friend, the wife of my husband's roommate. Since we share similar circumstances and trust God for each day we daily encourage each other as we bear one another's burdens. How good God is.
God is teaching Joan to see grace in a situation where others would see only darkness. (Excerpted from Treasures of Faith, pages 18-21)
PRAYER
May You, Lord. open our eyes to the treasures in the darkness You send to remind us of Your grace, that You are the Lord our God and You call us by name.
If you would like to read the entire book, go to P&R is offering Treasures of Faith for a special price of $3.00 per book! And the Leader’s Guide for $2.00. Supplies are limited.
Are there other women in your life who could benefit from a daily dose of encouragement? Forward this email so they can click on this link to Subscribe to Daily Treasure to be better equipped to walk by faith on the pathway God has marked out for them.
Sharon W. Betters is the author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, co-author of Treasures of Faith. and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace, Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non-profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.