What if everything were guaranteed? What if each time a politician promised
something and didn’t deliver exactly what he promised, he were forced by law to
leave office? That would eliminate a lot
of liars from running our country. What
if there weren’t codicils to warranties?
What if advertisers had to stand one hundred percent behind each product
that they hawked and give a double refund for each time it failed to live up to
its many amazing promises? If all those
things would come to be, then everyone would live in the perfect estate of God.
Here is one very short and important statement about
God. It is found in Titus 1:2. “In hope of eternal life which God, who
cannot lie, promised before it began,” contains that statement. Right in the middle of that verse we see four
words, “God, who cannot lie”. God is
absolutely holy. That means, in part,
that he is devoid of any possible ability to sin. He is totally righteous which means that he
cannot do anything wrong. He won’t even
tell a “little white lie” or a “tiny fib”.
What he says is true, absolutely true.
That is seen in all the promises He has already
kept. Those promises have told of the
coming Messiah and all that He would do on earth. They told of His birth, ministry, death and
resurrection. They tell of His second
coming. But God has given other promises
that are just as sure and true as those related to Christ. He gave promises to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Those
promises came true. He gave warnings to
His people and to the people with whom they interacted. Each warning came true. He gave detailed promises that took centuries
to unfold, but they unfolded according to every detail given. He still gives promises today.
Those promises are found in His Word. We are called upon to lay hold of the
promises of God, but we cannot lay hold of those things of which we are
unaware. To know the promises of God we
need to be people of the Book. We need
to read it, study it, meditate on it and then claim the promises from it. There are rich blessings in the Word. Lay hold of them. This modern hymn of the
post-revivalist era (1976) by Christopher Idle says it all right in the title,
“How Sure the Scriptures Are!” (It is
sung to the tune for, “Rejoice! The Lord is King”)
How sure the Scriptures are! God’s vital, urgent word, as true as steel,
and far more sharp than any sword: so deep and fine at His control they pierce
where soul and spirit join.
Let those who hear His voice confronting them today,
reject the tempting choice of doubting or delay: for God speaks still, His word
is clear, so let us hear and do his will.
The Friday Benediction
Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop
you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in
the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be
enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend. Amen
You can
contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net
You may also
find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/
You may also
enjoy my new Gospel dog blog, The Gospel According to Molly Blog and my new
Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe: An Alzheimer’s Blog” found on my
website.
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