Stephen spoke last night on ‘living in the promises of God’, challenging us all to take hold of the many promises God has for us rather than living complacently in the status quo. Josh 1:8 gives us the secret to success (keeping God’s Word in our hearts and on our lips and living a life of obedience) and we were reminded that there is more to our lives than simply receiving eternal salvation. Our purpose should be Christ succeeding in our lives, having pride of place. God is a God of blessing whose promises in Scripture are there for us to claim. Some of these promises include access to God’s all-surpassing power, to peace, joy, love, understanding and healing. Far from simply reading these promises (or even highlighting them in our Bibles), we need to live in the reality of these promises.
The Israelites spent years in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land (a land flowing with milk and honey), but actually were closer to that land than they often realised. Each of us can claim new promises in God, even if we feel we are currently in the wilderness. Hebrews 4:1-2 reminds us that the promise of entering God’s rest still exists, but faith is required for that promise to become ours. Deut 28:1-8 reminds us of the many blessings God has promised His people and Eph 1:3-10 reminds us that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Redemption, forgiveness, love, grace and wisdom are some of the promises available to us.
Deut 8:7-9 talks about the good land God has for His people, a land with brooks, streams and deep springs; a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. We may have tasted one of these things:
… but there is so much more still to embrace!
Don’t think that God only has one promise for you, for He is a God of abundance! All that is required is for us to reach out in faith to live in the promises God has generously and lavishly given us.