Promises of God

The Promises of God

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For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20

There have been times when I have hung on to a desire, a goal or even a possession because in my mind it was “Promised by God.” But whether a specific achievement, position or goal is really ours is less important than missing the point of God’s promise.

With the goal of inheriting all that God has promised us like the children of Israel inheriting the Promised land, we need to ask ourselves what is God’s promise to us? After all until we are sure what our goal is how will we know when we have reached it? What are your goals? What do you feel God has promised? In fact just what is a promise?

A promise is keeping our word to do what we have said we would do. The Bible tells us that Jesus was God’s word in human form (John 1:12). Jesus came with one mission in mind: to seek and save the lost. If we make anything other than Jesus: any possession position or experience to be our goal then we will have missed the promises of God. Jesus is far more than the one who answers our prayers and meets our needs. Jesus Himself was while here on earth the keeper of the promises of God. In our love relationship with Him we can make the amazing discovery that we do not need to pass through a desert, cross the red sea or in fact go anywhere at all on earth to find God’s promise. God’s greatest promise for each one of us is knocking at our door waiting for us to hear His voice and open He is waiting to sit down with us, break the bread and share the cup of all the promises of God!

Jesus I am Resting Resting

In the Joy of what Thou art

And I’m finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart

Jesus I am Resting by Jean Sophia Piggott  1877?

Lost in Translation

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Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.                       2 Corinthians 5:20

In Paul’s day ambassadors would have been required to speak both the language of their king as well as that of the people to whom they were sent. As Christ’s ambassadors we, must not only proclaim, but also translate. I have worked as a translator, so here are a few tips. First, let His message flow! Simply speaking another language doesn’t help us to translate if we get caught up on every detail. We must flow with the message. That is how God wants us to share the gospel. We don’t need to understand everything. Our job is to do the best we can and let it flow!

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Second, don’t change the message. There are times when I am not comfortable with what the person for whom I am translating is saying but I can’t change or leave out the parts I don’t like.  God has called us to carry His entire message to all kinds of people and trust Him. Last, never stop learning! Just because I can adequately translate doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to improve. As God’s ambassadors we must always be striving to know the language of heaven better. We are called to reach our world. The stakes are eternal. The rewards are immense. How can we do less than our best to speak in ways that reach people desperately in need of Him?