Bible 2018

Pinky promise

Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Genesis 21:1

Promises are something that people hear about all the time. Promises are made by many different people for many different reasons. Many of the promises are made by close friends, while others are made by others who are known, but not close.

While many promises are made, there are very few that are always kept. Excuses are made as to why a promise could not be kept, or blame is laid upon someone else for not fulfilling the promise. So many promises are broken, that many people do not trust very many people to fulfill a promise. It is often expected that a person will not fulfill the promise.

This feeling of distrust often extends over to God. Sarah and Abraham had always wanted to have a child of their own, but Sarah was unable to have one. At one point, when they were both very old, an angel came to them and told them that God has promised that they would have their own child. Sarah did not really believe God’s word, because of her age. At the time Sarah and Abraham had their child, they were both well beyond their child-bearing years. Yet, God fulfilled His promise to Sarah at the right time.

God has promised every believer many different things. Yet, many believers do not believe that God will fulfill His promise. Since men do not keep their promises, God is not expected to keep His.

If a believer will believe that God will do everything that He says He will do, he will live his life very differently. God has promised provision, life, direction, wisdom, love, peace, strength, salvation and much more. Just as God fulfilled His promise to Sarah and Abraham, He will fulfill His promises today.

Think of all of the promises God has made to you. These can be the ones directly written in the bible, or ones you heard God speak to you in your heart. Are you trusting that God will fulfill those promises? Are you acting upon those promises?

God’s timing for fulfilling His promises may not always seem to be the best time, but they are. God will fulfill His promise at the perfect time. God will never be late or early in doing what He has said He will do for you. Trust His word today.

I pray that you will know the promises God has made; that you will trust God’s promise to you; that you will live upon God’s promises; and that you will trust God’s timing to fulfill His promises.

Man looking back

But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26

The sin in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were so great that God had chosen to destroy both of them. In His great mercy, God warned Lot and his family to flee from the destruction. As Lot, his wife and daughters were leaving, his wife chose to look back at the city. When she looked back, God turned her into a pillar of salt.

Files on computers or online are filled with thousands of pictures of things that happened in the past. The pictures are kept to remember people and events that occurred in the past. People will look back at those photos remembering good and bad times.

It is very common for some people to look back at things in the past and want to go back to that time. They want to go back when things were ‘better’. Often they want to escape the cares, fears, and trials of the present and go back to the ‘better’ days.

While there is nothing wrong with looking back at good times in one’s life, there are things that are often looked back upon and desired that are not good. Believers are to be a changed person. They have turned away from the past ways of living and become a new person in Jesus.

When a believer looks back on his old life and desires it, he is desiring the old and sinful ways of life. As he looks back, he is turning his back on Jesus and turning to sin and the world.

God is always moving forward. He is changing the believer to be more like Jesus every day. Going back to the old way of living, is to deny what Jesus has done. It is to deny what God wants the believer to be.

As a believer, keep your eyes focused ahead upon Jesus. You may look back to see how far you have come, but do not look back to desire it. God is always doing a new thing in your life. Do not allow the old ways to entice you to give up what God has done in your life.

Although the things in your past may have looked good, they only led to death. God wants to lead you forward into eternal life.

What are you desiring–the sinful past of death, or the future of life?

I pray today that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that God will help you turn from all sin; that you will know what God has in store for you; and that your eyes will always be on God.