ODJ: Promises, Promises . . .

March 11, 2017 

READ: Hebrews 6:13-20 

God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind (v.17).

My sister promised to meet up with a friend later in the month. But when that day came, it landed with a thud at the end of an unusually hectic workweek. Her body protested: Head home! Rest! Meet your friend another day. Her conscience, however, called out: Honour your promise!

She shared her inner turmoil with a colleague who replied: “Well, that’s why I don’t make promises. Then I won’t have to keep them. I can still change my mind and do what I like.”

Isn’t it wonderful to know that God both makes and keeps His promises? Consider God’s promises to Abraham: “I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number” (Genesis 22:17). And God did as He said! Abraham became the ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:1), and anyone who believes in Jesus becomes a descendant of Abraham and heir to the ultimate promise he received (Galatians 3:29).

When God makes a promise, we can be sure He will keep it. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that [God] would never change his mind” (6:17).

What challenging times are you experiencing? Take heart! God’s promises provide real hope. Even when life becomes unbearable, we “can have great confidence [for] the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls” (vv.18-19).

Adoniram Judson, who spent his life sharing the gospel in Burma, understood this truth. He once said in the midst of his many trials, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”

No matter what our trials may be, if we’ve received Jesus as our Saviour, we have a bright future because His promises will never fail.

—Poh Fang Chia

365-day plan: Judges 14:1-20

MORE
Read Psalm 84:11, Isaiah 41:10 and 1 Peter 5:7 for some of God’s promises. What others come to mind? 
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How has God kept His promises to you? What promise of His do you need to remember and cling to today?