Simple Thoughts On Promises

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 133

Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you, declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14)

Have you ever felt insignificant? Not of much worth or any at all?

It happens sometimes to most believer's and to few believer's many a time. The title verse here speaks of worthlessness of Israel, God's own people. Jacob/Israel compared to a worm.

Bildad the Shuhite, one of Job's friends had this to say when Job suffered:

"Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? Upon whom does his light not rise?

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 25:1-6)

....how much less man, who is but a maggot - a son of man, who is only a worm!........

Because of multiple pressing circumstances in life, some believer's consider their condition as that of Israel spoken of by God here i.e. little or insignificant.

What's the worth of a worm? Nothing, so as to say, yet the title verse speaks as if God even has a compassionate heart to a person who thinks he/she has no worth at all.

Israel lost all it's glory because of sins. They were in a hopeless situation; of little worth. Yet the Lord did not forsake them. He promised to help them.

And he will help you too. The Bible says,

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

Always remember that you are in the safe arms of God Almighty even though you are passing through a troublesome period in your life.

He says,

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 134

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)

Jesus stated this after telling his hearers a parable; in fact he spoke a series of parables on this occasion as he sat in a boat and the crowds stood on the shore. The parable that ended with the above statement was this:

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

"'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" (Matthew 13:24-30)

Jesus later explained the parable to his disciples:

"The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:37-42)

Jesus ended by saying...Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

No one can take away the honor that will be bestowed on the righteous in the end. The Bible says,

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. (Malachi 4:2)

Shall we then wait for God's promises to be fulfilled?

May the Holy Spirit help us all. Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 135

For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. (Psalm 48:14)

I guess one could not ask for a better guide in this earthly sojourn. But God does not guide anyone unless they choose to have a personal relationship with him.

Does he appear to be distant from you though you pray, sing and worship him? Try having a personal relationship with him like Father & Son or Father & Daughter.

The Bible says,

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - (John 1:12)

As a child of God you have the privilege to ask him to guide you in every aspect of your life. You will be guided by the Holy Spirit who is always in you and with you after you become a child of God.

After liberating the Israelites from Egyptian bondage God Almighty chose to be with them. The Bible says,

By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. (Exodus 13:21)

The same thing is mentioned in the book of Nehemiah:

"Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. (Nehemiah 9:19)

God has great compassion on you because you are his child. Whenever you call out "Father", he is there to hear you.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, <"Abba,> Father." (Romans 8:15)

The psalmist Asaph sums up this matter in a wonderful way:

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. (Psalm 73:23, 24)

Yes; we too as children of God can emphatically say,

For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. (Psalm 48:14)

Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 136

Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10)

Do you believe that? I mean the part of the verse above that says,

...."for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked."

All those escapes from accidents and sicknesses and terrifying situations. Do you think they all happened by chance?

Even when you did not know Christ, yet because you were chosen to be a part of his kingdom, God protected you. What's the proof? you may ask.

Here is something that the Lord had to say to King Cyrus who was a Gentile king, that of Persia.

"This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains ; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:1-6)

Notice these words...For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me....

Twice God says....though you do not acknowledge me...

You must remember that even when you had not acknowledged God, he was there to protect you and deliver you from the wicked one because you were chosen by him to be a part of his kingdom. Now that you have acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Savior, his promises have great value in your life. Hold on to his promises.

The Lord has this to say to you today:

Be strong and courageous....(Joshua 1:6,7,9)

God bless you.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 137

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

Do you believe that Jesus is with you, to be specific, near you, as you read this devotional? You can't see him yet you believe he is with you? Wonderful! Jesus says you are blessed if you believe that.

Many a time, we feel Jesus is so very far away especially when we are suffering. We feel he doesn't seem to care even though we pray with faith. He just keeps quiet. We often wonder why he does that?

His divine purposes are often difficult to understand. But his assurance is that he is with us, that's why one of his names is "Immanuel" meaning God with us.

So what's the agenda of sleeping calmly in the boat when his disciples' knees are knocking because of a furious storm? Or that special appearance walking on the waters, one dark and windy night when his disciples had lost all hopes and were seeing ghosts?

Why can't life be easy? the disciples must have thought sometimes. But perhaps they did not then comprehend that he was shaping them up for greater things.

Moses was put in God's school of training for quite a while- around 40 years and just when he thought that life was all settled- good wife, 2 boys, good father-in-law, lot of sheep...God thought it was time for a new job for Moses. The hottest job in the middle east, so as to say...and Moses didn't want it... But God had his way..

He's going to lead you through some wonderful ways. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised....You believe in him though you do not see him..you believe his Words; Jesus says "You are blessed."

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 138

Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. (Proverbs 3:25,26)

What's our confidence? The things that we boast about is where our confidence lies. People of the world boast about things of the world. But what about the believer? The Apostle Paul has a few things to say to us regarding this:

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

And if the Lord is our confidence, the promise given above is for us. The promise exhorts us not to fear sudden disaster or the ruin that overtakes the wicked. The Lord will keep our foot from being snared.

Psalms 91 and 124 speak of the fowler's snare:

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. (Psalm 91:3)

We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. (Psalm 124:7)

Psalm 91:3 speaks of how God saves those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High and Psalm 124:7 speaks of deliverance for the one on whose side the Lord is.

If your confidence is in the Lord, he will save and deliver you too.

God bless.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 139

The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." (Judges 7:7)

7th book of the Bible, 7th Chapter, 7th verse...Wonderful Promise to Gideon.

The size of the armies of the enemy was astounding:

The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. (Judges 7:12)

Gideon set out with 32,000 men to fight the Midianites and the Amalekites. God told Gideon to ask all who were fearful to go home. 22,000 went back, 10,000 were left. Perhaps Gideon was satisfied that atleast 10,000 were left to fight against the enemy. But God had other plans. He told Gideon,

"There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. (Judges 7:4-6)

And then came the promise--With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.

300 against a vast army. No, not 300. 300+ God Almighty. And then immediately the ratios change. 300 becomes 300+ omnipotence.

And no kind of permutations and combinations of the enemy can stand against the army of God.

Do you feel that your strength is little while fighting the evil forces arrayed against you? Remember that Jesus is with you. He's the one who disarmed the powers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

300+ God Almighty proved to be too much for the Midianites and Amalekites. God gave a great victory to Gideon and the Israelites.

You, as a child of God are not alone in your war against satanic foes. It's (you+ God Almighty) against satan. So the battle becomes the Lord's and the victory is yours.

Glory! Hallelujah!

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 140

By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. (1 Corinthians 6:14)

As one reads of Apostle Paul making this statement, it is evident that he is convinced of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and also that those who believe in the sin-atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and live according to God's Word will likewise be resurrected by the power of God.

What wonderful hope that instills in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ!

With so many daunting problems to be faced each day while living in this world, the Word of God brings hope and assurance for them who believe in the Lord.

The Bible says,

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

The fleshly body will see decay some day when the blood stops flowing, the breath is no more taken and someone declares 'one' brain dead. Yet, the spirit and soul live on and for the believer there's a promise that will be fulfilled- they will receive an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

What a blessed hope. Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 141

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27, 28)

The writer of Hebrews talks about the return of Jesus Christ in this very wonderful passage where he also speaks of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Interestingly the point that stands out here is that Christ is coming back for those who are waiting for him. Immediately the question arises of whether the dead are also waiting for him. In fact they are; and the following verses attest to this fact.

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:28, 29)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

He is coming to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Are you waiting for him?

The Bible says,

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. (James 5:7)

You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. (James 5:8)

....Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 142

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.