Psalm 132:1-18

The promises of God are a wonderful thing.  They provide an anchor for us in the midst of the often turbulent storm of life that we must often face.  It is easy for us to focus on the problems that often surround us in life and forget all about the promises of God; but we must not allow that to happen.  We must do whatever it takes to constantly remind ourselves of the promises of God.  Many people struggle mightily in their life because they do not know God’s promises because they have not taken time to study the Word of God.  Others who have studied the Word and know the promises become distracted and forget all about them at the first sign of trouble.  If we are going to grow in our relationship with the Lord and stand firm in the face of trials we must work hard to remember the promises of God all throughout our lives.

GOD HAS PROMISED TO REWARD OUR WORK: The fact that God rewards obedience is spread throughout all of Scripture.  We often hesitate to talk about or even think about rewards because it smacks of arrogance and selfishness to us.  We somehow convince ourselves that it is noble and humble to ignore the idea of rewards all together.  I believe this to be a trick of Satan and a false sort of humility that is actually very displeasing to the Lord.  God wants to be known as a God of rewards.  He wants us to desire His rewards because it speaks to our vision of Him.  When we are excited about His rewards; we are honoring and worshiping Him.  David points to His work to provide a dwelling place for the Ark and a house of worship for the people as evidence of His dedication to the Lord.  He understands the relationship between His faithfulness and God’s rewards.  We are uncomfortable with this concept because we are aware that any “good” we do only comes from God’s work in us and we are very much aware of the fact that we do not deserve rewards.  However, this awareness should not cause us to ignore or forget about rewards.  Rather, it should fill us with gratitude and spur us on to worship God with all of our hearts.


GOD HAS PROMISED TO REMEMBER HIS WORD: When David faced uncertain days and it looked like his enemies would overtake him; he constantly reminded himself and God about the promises that God had made to him.  God does not need to be reminded of anything nor does He need to be informed of anything.  He never forgets a promise He has made and He always knows about everything that happens to us.  But that does not mean that He does not take delight in our prayers to Him and our reminders of His promises.  We don’t pray because God needs us to pray but because we need to pray.  We don’t remind God of His promises because He has forgotten them but because we need to be reminded of them.  As we recite the promises of God we are reassured of His faithfulness and comforted in our times of distress.  The promises of God reflect the character of God and when we remember His character it is much easier for us to trust Him and be faithful to Him even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more