Promises

“...God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants -- though he had no children yet. ... As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased."  Acts 7:5, 17

Promises are a big deal. We receive them. We give them. We are angered when others break them and grieved when we break them. I am so thankful that my wife has kept hers to me ... "till death do us part." It hasn't been easy for her. Trust me. Yet, through all these years, she has stood behind her promises.

Stephen, in his speech to the religious leaders, made a point to emphasize promises ... specifically, the promises of God. He reminded them of their fulfillment as a precursor to identifying Jesus as the fulfillment of God's ultimate promise, the promise of a deliverer. Their rejection of God's fulfillment of his promise placed them outside of the blessing of the promise. Their response to this message from Stephen was to kill him. How incredibly sad.

Today, the promises of God belong to the "whosoever wills", those who choose to believe in Jesus. He stands behind all of his promises, providing a continuous flow of life to any who trust in them, who trust in him. He will help us keep ours. He will remind us of the ones we need to hold on to in every circumstance of life. Promises are a big deal.


Grace and Peace,

Tom Wiles
tom@fallcreekchristian.org

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