PROMISES

I Was Just Thinking About - - PROMISES.

Quotes regarding promises attributed to notable people include:  (1) Abraham Lincoln, “We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot.” (2) Napoleon Bonaparte: “The best way to keep one's word is not to give it.” (3) Norman Vincent Peale, “Promises are like crying babies in a theater, they should be carried out at once.” (4) Edmund Burke, “Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing.”

What is a Promise? It communicates a “pledge, vow, a guarantee, and an assurance.” In a Court Room, one who was called upon to give testimony about an event or deed would “swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help me God.” When couples are married, there is a marriage vow that indicates one will, “love, honor and cherish until death us do part.” The number of marriages ending in divorce would indicate it is a sacred vow and promise not kept. Politicians seeking public office fill their speeches with a variety of promises they will keep and enact IF you elect them to a particular office. How has that worked out so far?

Is there a source one can turn to and find assurance that a promise made will be a promise kept? Several years ago, a Children’s Chorus was published by Bill and Gloria Gaither that declared: “I am a Promise; I am a Possibility; I am a Promise with a capital “P”; I’m a great big bundle of Potentiality.” These words correspond to the Scriptural promises given by God.  Someone set out to determine how many promises are contained in the Holy Scriptures. Depending on the translation being used, the estimated range is from approximately 3,000 to 8,000 promises made. One unnamed person who used the King James Version of the Bible determined there were 3,573 promises in the Holy Scriptures. The range of promises noted pertain to Eternal Life, Forgiveness, One’s Needs, Wisdom and Guidance, Peace, Overcoming Temptation, Protection, Resurrection, etc. The total number of promises should not concern us too greatly because we are given this assurance in II Corinthians 1:20, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

You should find consolation in the words of II Peter 1:3-4, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Is your faith and hope based upon the very great and precious promises of God?

Prayerfully – Consider these things with me.