Simple Thoughts On Promises

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 152

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:23- 25)

How wonderful a promise! It says that Jesus, the permanent high priest, always lives to intercede for everyone who comes to God through him. Even when there is no one praying and interceding for you, Jesus is, because you are invaluable to him. When you are ill and tired and weary and can't pray, Jesus is interceding for you. When you are in mental agony and cannot bring words in your heart and mouth as prayer, Jesus is interceding for you. Can you believe that?

The Bible says,

Such a high priest meets our need - one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7:26)

Jesus is the perfect intercessor. A human intercessor may have faults and sins in his life which may be a hindrance to his prayer being answered, but here is someone who is holy, blameless and pure; whose prayer God will surely answer. He is set apart from sinners and exalted above the heavens.

Not only Jesus, but even the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in the presence of the father.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26)

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. (Romans 8:27)

The next time when you feel that you are all alone and that there is no one to pray and intercede for you, remember these promises. Jesus, the permanent high priest and the Counselor, the Holy Spirit are always there, continually interceding for you in the presence of the Father. God bless you.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 153

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. (Proverbs 26:2)

Balak, the king of Moab, recruited Balaam to curse the Israelites while they travelled to the promised land of Canaan. But God would not allow Balaam to curse Israel. Whenever Balaam opened his mouth, God made him proclaim blessings rather than curses. Balaam spoke of why the Israelites couldn't be cursed. During those days, the Israelites lived a life of obedience to God and his laws. Balaam said,

He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him,and the shout of a king is among them. (Numbers 23:21)

Living a life of obedience to God and his laws was their strength during those days; so no one could destroy them. But later on instead of cursing Israel, Balaam led them into sin as we read in the book of Revelation.

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (Revelation 2:14)

This led to their downfall and many calamities befell them.

Sin in our lives opens up ways for evil forces to attack and subdue us.

As a child of God you do not have to fear when wicked people curse you, provided you are living close to God and obeying his Word. They may pronounce calamities upon your life while cursing you but none of those will happen to you because you are protected by God. The blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ is your protection.

Because Jesus loves you, he will turn curses into blessings as he did for Israel when they lived close to him as is said in this verse.

However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. (Deuteronomy 23:5)

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 154

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)

Spiritually and physically, most of us grow weary and weak at one time or the other. It just happens, even to them who live very close to the Lord. Moses was a man who spent much time in the presence of the Lord. God spoke to him like a man speaks to his friend. Twice he fasted and prayed for 40 days and was continually in God's presence during those days. Yet there were times when Moses became weak and weary. Perhaps the burdens on his life were too great and he snapped under the pressure of it all. It happens to most of us. And does God understand? Yes, he does.

The Bible says,

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13, 14)

Yes...he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

We need to continually lean on the Lord for he is the fountain of strength, both spiritual and physical. The verses following the title verse here say,

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:30, 31)

Are you feeling weak spiritually or physically these days? God doesn't condemn you for not being spiritually strong like you were before. He understands the bodily pain and weakness that you suffer. God will renew your strength. He will build you up with the Holy Spirit. You will soar on wings like eagles and that will bring glory to him.

Always remember...He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 155

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

Being pure in heart goes beyond having the right doctrines and attending the right churches. Purity in thought, word and deed at all times is a difficult standard to acheive and there's always another lesson to be learnt and another chapter to be explored as long as we live here on earth.

Regarding human purity, Eliphaz the Temanite, one of Job's friends had this to say,

"What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous? If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water! (Job 15:14-16)

And another friend of Job, Bildad the Shuhite shared his thoughts:

How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is but a maggot - a son of man, who is only a worm!" (Job 25:4-6)

What the friends of Job said was true but they chose the wrong occasion and the wrong person to whom to say that to. The knowledgable friends of Job tried to put down a man of whom God himself had testified to satan,

"Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8)

Maitaining high standards of purity is the call from Jesus to all his children. How much each one of us acheives that is known only to the person concerned and the Lord himself.

The reward for being pure is one of the greatest...and something the world cannot give...Jesus said, "They will see God."Hope you and I get that reward. God bless.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 156

Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. (Genesis 18:10)

That God would bless him with descendants was a promise that Abraham had heard many times from the Lord. But now there was something specific in the promise. Not a difficult to imagine promise like- "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be" but something more concrete. God Almighty was promising to return the next year and give the long awaited blessing of a child of their own to Abraham and Sarah.

Does the Lord deal in specifics? is the question many a believer asks. Yes, he does; is the answer. But one may have to wait at his feet in prayer for a while often. A couple of clear examples of how the Lord speaks in minute detail is found in the following passages:

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." (Acts 9:9-12)

One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!" Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea." (Acts 10:3-6)

Not much difficulty in finding those addresses.

The Lord has answers and solutions for all the problems that we face while we live here on earth and he has given us (believer's) the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to guide us in the right path.

Regarding the Holy Spirit, Jesus said,

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. (John 16:13-15)

Coming back to the promise that God gave Abraham as we read in the title verse. As God said, so he did. That's what we read in Genesis Ch.21

Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. (Genesis 21:1,2)

You and I, we serve a God who keeps his word. All glory be to him. Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 157

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:3,4)

When we give to the needy and make proclamations about it, we receive the kudos and applause from men. That becomes our reward.

Jesus said,

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. (Matthew 6:1, 2)

But when we do acts of charity secretly without others knowing about it, our heavenly Father seeing what we did in secret will reward us according to the richness of his grace. Definitely, the rewards that come from heaven are much greater than what men can ever give.

Perhaps no one may know what we are doing and no one may acknowledge us openly in that respect, but everything is noted down by heaven in secret.

Not that we can receive salvation by doing good in secret, as some other religions believe; we are saved by Jesus Christ to do good works.

Paul exhorted the Galatian believer's in this manner:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:9,10)

Greater rewards await us as we (believers) wait patiently doing good in the name of Jesus. The great promise made by the Lord regarding his return still awaits completion and every believer must look forward to that glorious day when the Savior fulfills this promise of his:

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Revelation 22:12)

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 158

Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, `Work a miracle,' then you shall say to Aaron, `Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.' " (Exodus 7:8, 9)

Moses and Aaron had obeyed the command of the Lord and had spoken to Pharaoh to release the Israelites. But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go." (Exodus 5:2)

Moses and Aaron pleaded with Pharaoh, but instead of releasing the Israelites, he made them work more harder and stopped providing them with straw to make bricks. Their foremen were beaten. The foremen in turn poured out their anger on Moses and Aaron by blaming them for this sudden worsening of their working conditions.

Moses was discouraged and complained to the Lord,

"O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? "Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all." (Exodus 5:22, 23)

God again commanded Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh. He promised to do a miracle. When Aaron threw his staff down in the presence of Pharaoh, it would become a serpent. And that is exactly what happened. But other things happened that God had not revealed to Moses and Aaron.

Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. (Exodus 7:11)

Each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. That really must have startled the brothers Moses and Aaron. Something that God did not reveal to them. For a moment they must have wondered what was happening, whether God Almighty was in control, but soon their doubts were cleared when they saw the power of God manifested in front of them. The Bible says,

Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. (Exodus 7:12)

Moses and Aaron must have immediately realized that the power that they had with them was greater than the power that the magicians and Pharaoh had.

The Bible says,

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

John the Apostle here is speaking of the spirit of the Antichrist that is in the world. No doubt like the magicians of Egypt, the satanic spirits have power but there is a far greater and higher power in you and me who have accepted Jesus and Christ.

Like Aaron's staff could swallow the staffs of the magicians, the power of the Holy Spirit in every believer overcomes the power of the the evil one who is in the world.

Always remember, the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. So do not fear.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 159

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

Wonderful promise from Jesus to the disciples after giving them orders to fufill the Great Commission. This promise holds true not only for them but for every disciple of Jesus Christ. There's nothing too hard to understand these words of Jesus. Plain and simple- He says, he's with us at all times. But what's the point of Jesus being with us and him not doing anything when we are in trouble? Can that happen? The disciples once thought so. This is what really happened,

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:35-38)

In short, the disciples were hinting- What's the point of you being with us if you are not doing anything to save us?

Sometimes we may feel like what the disciples felt when they were drowning despite Jesus being with them. Have you ever cried out like the disciples did-- Wake up Jesus, wake up..don't you care if I/We....whatever??

But Jesus is in control at all times. He knows every detail about the storms in our lives. We may feel we are drowning, but his everlasting arms are beneath us holding us and ours safe at all times.

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. (Mark 4:39)

Another great miracle...and the disciples were awestruck...They exclaimed, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:41)

So be strengthened this day, dear brother/dear sister; he is with us at all times according to his promise, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."God bless.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 160

He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. (Proverbs 22:11)

And if you are a child of God with the qualities described above, you will have the King of Kings, Jesus, as your friend.

Once Jesus told his disciples:

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14, 15)

What's this "master's business" that Jesus is talking about? The master's business is doing the will of God. For the disciples and for us it means being a true witness for Jesus Christ and bearing fruit that will last. That's what Jesus told his disciples:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (John 15:16)

If you are fulfilling the commands of Jesus to be a witness for the kingdom of God and bearing fruit that lasts, you have Jesus as your friend.

What better friend can one have? A friend who is always with us; helping, saving, healing, delivering, nurturing, pacifying and consoling.

The words of this song written by Charles W. Fry puts the matter quite aptly:

I have found a friend in Jesus, He

[George C]

A Faberg