True Promise Keeper


Keep every promise you make.
And only make promises you can keep. –Anthony Hitt


Covenant is definitely a "church word," or once in a while, a legal beagle term. Its origins come from Latin, and mean "to come together in agreement." Kind of a handshake and a promise.

But when God makes a covenant, suddenly it becomes more.

God makes a covenant with Abraham, and he becomes the father of nations, offspring too numerous to count, like the stars in the sky-- and he gets a late start in the game.

And even when Abraham and his wife Sarah aren't completely faithful to God's plan-- God remains faithful.

No matter what.

And so it is with each of us. We may not be capable of unwavering faithfulness, but the God who created us is always faithful.

Remember that, the next time things in life seem to be sliding south.

All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.

Think about that for a minute (or ten)-- and believe.

Trust in the One who promises Life and Hope—and Peace.


Monday Did you make a new year’s resolution this year? How is that going? Reflect on where that resolution came from. Psalm 40:1-6

Tuesday How forgiving are you when others make promises they don’t keep? Do you (almost) always keep your promises? 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Wednesday Today feels like a good day for apologies. Seek out someone who’s been on your mind because you fear you’ve hurt them. Take them to coffee. Isaiah 49:1-4

Thursday Some days, God feels this close; others, not so much. Where are you today? Pray and allow yourself to belong to God. Psalm 40:7-11

Friday Make plans this weekend to do something for strangers in need. Help at a community meal, or buy food for the food bank. It doesn’t have to be a big move. John 1:29-34

Saturday As you pray for yourself today, let God heal those unintended wounds or slights you may have been holding onto. Give thanks and rest. Isaiah 49:5-7

Sunday There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea. There’s a kindness in God’s justice, which is more than liberty! Believe. Accept. Pay it forward! John 1:35-42

Promises are like crying babies in a theater. They should be carried out at once. 
–Norman Vincent Peale


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritual dehydration

  Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that is where I renew my springs that never dry up. –Pearl S. Buck   The past two years (at least) have been exhausting, haven’t they? We had a pandemic that physically left us anxious and afraid. Our churches, where we go for nourishment, were closed or online longer than we wanted—and even now, we are careful. Politically, we have been divided against one another, and those wounds are still bleeding in many cases. We need to take care of ourselves. And it’s never been more difficult. What to do? How do I make time in our busy schedules—for me ? The simple answer: Whatever it takes. Remember when we would fly to a vacation destination? How the flight attendant would remind us that if the cabin loses pressure, the oxygen masks would drop down out of the ceiling? And that before we offer to help anyone else, we need to have our own masks in place ? Good advice for life in general. Today: Pause. Take inventory ...
Read more

What are you waiting for?

  The waiting is the hardest part. –Tom Petty   We spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for the coffee to finish dripping. Waiting for the light to turn green. Waiting for the next available agent. It’s inevitable, really. We cannot always be first, and if we aren’t first, we’ll have to wait. But I think the more important thing is to ask yourself: How am I at waiting? Do I find myself getting anxious and fidgety? Am I worrying about things not going the way I really need them to go? Is my attitude rubbing off on people around me? The best way to wait is not to worry where we are in line, or gripe about wasted time. The best way to wait—is to be right there , in the moment of waiting. The disciples waited in fear; we wait in hope. Why not use this waiting time to pray? Welcome God’s presence into your heart. Ask God to bring you into the moment. Inquire what God would ask of you in this moment . Thank God for wisdom, patience, humor. . . . Take a d-e...
Read more

Don't be afraid.

Living is a great deal more than simply not dying. It is carrying out a mission, committing oneself to fashion some meaning that will attain eternity. –Leonardo Boff When asked, “What are you afraid of?” we offer a myriad of answers: snakes, spiders, flying in an airplane. But when pressed, many people, believers and non-believers alike, will admit that the one thing they fear most, at the core of their being, is death. Most of us enjoy having control over our lives, and frankly, we have very little control over, or way of knowing, how or when our earthly journey will end. And we have even fewer concrete answers about what will happen next. We have the profession of our faith and the occasional “crossing-over” story—but. No wonder death is near the top of that list. But sometimes, as I look around, it seems like people are less fearful about dying—and more afraid of living. Really cutting loose and enjoying our time together as human beings privileged to live in God’s am...
Read more