Peace
Rest
Opportunity
Mercy
Instruction
Strength
Escape
Security
If you read the Bible, you will
find many promises God made to man from Genesis through Revelation.
A promise is a solemn pledge to perform or grant a specific thing.
Promises made by God to man are an indication of His nature, faithfulness
and grace. You'll also find that there were stipulations placed upon the
promises. God will do for man, but
man also must obey God. Man makes
many promises to God and forgets to keep them.
You can rest assured that when God makes a promise to man, He does not
forget!
(Romans 4:21 - And being fully persuaded that, what he had
promised, he was able also to perform.) This is talking about God's
promise to make Abraham’s seed a great nation, even though he was too old to
naturally have children. We, like
Abraham, not only are persuaded that He is able to keep His promises, we are
also persuaded that HE WILL KEEP THEM.
(2 Peter 1:4 - Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.)
PEACE
WITHIN
Peace in today's world
is practically unknown. There are
many reasons, such as greed, suspicion, absence of brotherly love, and hunger
for power, that prevent
real and lasting peace. Even in
these times of trouble and turmoil we can have peace within our hearts because
Jesus said, (John
14:27 - Peace I leave with you, my peace I give
unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.) Jesus did not say that
things would be peaceful around us, He said He would put His peace in our
hearts.
God promises peace of mind and
heart to those who trust Him.
(Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is
stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.)
God didn't say we were to put our trust in man but in Him. Here again the
peace is to be within us, not within the world.
The stipulation that goes with this peace is that we are to keep our mind
on God and trust in Him.
(Philippians
4:7 - And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.)
This a peace that the world cannot understand and only those who are
children of God can experience.
REST
FOR OUR BODY, SOUL, AND MIND
In today's world we live in a
restless age. Everyone is busy trying to make a living and store up things
for this present age. As never
before we have every gadget imaginable to help us save time. Unfortunately they have failed to solve the problem.
People today are so busy being busy that they have no time for leisure or
time to live.
(Genesis
2:2 - And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he
rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.) God made
everything that was made in six days and the seventh day, He rested.
Now God did not rest because He was tired but He rested because He was
finished with his work and as an example for man. The human body is designed in
such a way that it restores itself during sleep and rest.
The need for rest did not end
in the Old Testament. (Hebrews
4:9-10 - There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he
that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God
did from his.)
(Matthew
11:28-29 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek
and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.)
Our rest for our souls comes from Christ alone.
The Lord promised rest from the
worries and strains of life. All we
need to do is cast our care on Him and wait patiently for Him. (Psalms
37:7 - Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret
not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who
bringeth wicked devices to pass.) Remember, it is impossible to rest while we are in a hurry or
fretting about something and what good can it do anyway? (Matthew
6:27 - Which of you by taking thought can add one
cubit unto his stature?) Worrying will get you nothing profitable
but Matthew tells us what will get us everything. (Matthew
6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.)
OPPORTUNITY
TO SERVE
Every Christian should seek
every opportunity to serve God. We have been left instructions on how we are to
serve God. (Psalms 100:2 - Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.) God wants us to serve Him
because we love Him; otherwise, He would not have given us a free choice.
He does not desire that we serve Him out of fear.
The spirit of fear is not from the Lord but the spirit of love is from
God.
(Matthew
20:28 - Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.)
What greater love can there ever be?
The biggest hindrance to our
opportunity to serve is selfishness. Rather
than being a servant, we prefer to be served. (Galatians
5:13 - For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not
liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but
by love serve one another.)
Jesus Himself was our greatest
example of serving our fellowman.
(John 13:4-5 - He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments;
and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash
the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.)
Christ, in washing the disciples feet, became a servant.
How much more so should we serve our fellowman? (Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them.)
While Christ was on earth, He
prepared for His sheep to be fed (ministered to). When He left this earth to
return to the Father, He did not forget about the sheep and arranged for others
to take over the feeding.
John 21:15-17, tells how Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved
Him (Jesus) and Peter was grieved and he said thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus told Peter to feed my sheep and lambs. The Greek words used for feed in
these verses have the meaning of tending and caring for. Although in these
verses Christ is talking to Peter, in reality He is talking to all of us. As
servants of the Lord Jesus Christ it is up to us to serve one another.
MERCY
IN NEED
Mercy is the aspect of God's love that causes Him to help the miserable,
just as Grace is the aspect of His love that moves Him to forgive the guilty.
Christians are human and make
mistakes. No matter how hard we try, we often fail God but He is
merciful and always available to reinstate us when we ask. (Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need.) (1
John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin.)
(1
John 1:9 - If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.)
Again we see God's stipulations
to His promises: come boldly unto the throne; walk in the light; have fellowship
one with another; confess our sins. God
will do His part if we do our part. We
do not earn God's mercy nor do we deserve it. (Romans
9:16 - So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.) Because God is merciful He
expects his children to show mercy. (Matthew
5:7 - Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.)
INSTRUCTION
IN DIRECTION
People who are set in their own ways reject God's instructions and
therefore miss out on His promises. (Psalms
32:8 - I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt
go: I will guide thee with mine eye.)
Christians should always
welcome God's instructions, knowing His directions are always best. Sometimes we
get sidetracked and try to find our own way or listen to another human.
Pretty soon we will find ourselves traveling down the wrong path.
God has promised to lead us in the right paths, all we have to do to
follow Him. (Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths.)
God does not always issue long
drawn out instructions for us. Sometimes
He merely states His instructions without comment or explanation as He did to
Matthew. (Mark 2:14
- And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of
custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose
and followed him.) Here Jesus only spoke two words but the meaning was
extremely clear to Matthew as he arose immediately and followed Him.
That is the reason why we must always keep our minds on God and our ears
tuned in to hear His instructions for the direction He wants our lives to take.
STRENGTH
FOR WEAKNESS
No matter how much the human
works out or how many muscles he may have, his strength is limited and will
fail. God, on the other hand, has
infinite power and never fails. (Isaiah
41:10 - Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy
God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of my righteousness.) Which kind of strength had you
rather rely on?
As small children we were aware
of our lack of strength and relied on our parents.
Now that we are children of God how much more should we rely on our
heavenly Parent?
(Isaiah
40:29 - He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he
increaseth strength.) (Ephesians
3:20 - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,) In
Isaiah, God tells us how we can renew our strength. (Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the
LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.)
6
ESCAPE
TEMPTATION
You can be sure that all
temptation comes from Satan. (James
1:13 - Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God
cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:) Although God will not tempt you, He will provide for you
during the temptation. (1
Corinthians 10:13 - There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it.)
When Jesus was in the wilderness forty days, He was tempted by Satan.
If Satan had the nerve to tempt the Son of God, how much more is he
likely to tempt us? (Matthew 26:41 - Watch and
pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak.)
When temptation comes, we
should be prepared. (Ephesians 6:13 - Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.)
Jesus set the example that we should use against Satan. In Matthew 4:1-11
we read that Jesus used the Word of God against Satan’s temptations. (Luke
4:8 - And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get
thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve.)
SECURITY
ETERNAL
Today we have groups that
believe in eternal security or once saved always saved.
God's promise is not for so-called eternal security but it is for
security eternal. Security is
sought in many ways: power, possessions, and pleasures.
You may feel secure but that is a trick of the Devil.
Christ alone gives real and everlasting security. (John
14:2-3 - In my Father's house are
many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.)
Not only will He prepare a place for us, (Revelation
21:3-4 - And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.)
To live forever with God in a place especially prepared just for me, without all the tears, deaths, sorrow or pain, is all the SECURITY I shall ever need!