Category Archives: Promises

Bible, Gifts, God's Will, Promises, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

TAKING INVENTORY

GALATIANS 3:6

“Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

While I was in seminary, I worked for The Gap selling clothes during the Christmas season. Since I worked at the end of their fiscal year, I was also tasked with taking inventory. This required us to count every piece of clothing and apparel in the store. They needed an accurate count to measure how much the stuff in the store was worth. This information was passed on to the corporate office for tax purposes. Our “reckoning” of the numbers was important.

I prefer God’s count. Paul shares a verse from Genesis in today’s verse. It comes from Genesis 15:6, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.” The point Paul is trying to make is that Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish nation, was not saved through any work or deed. He was made righteous through faith, long before circumcision, long before the Law. God “took inventory” of Abraham’s faith and counted it as righteousness.

APPLICATION

What are you “counting” right now to prove your righteousness? You had might as well stop. In Romans 4:13, Paul says this, “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.” The same applies to us. There is nothing we can ever do to earn the righteousness of God. It is a gift through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

And aren’t you glad it’s a gift? Don’t you love gifts? You do nothing to deserve them. Think about it. What do you do to “earn” a birthday present? Nothing, except keep having them, lol. Because someone loves you, they gave you a gift. The same is true about our righteousness in Christ. Because He loved you, He gives you His righteousness as a gift. You just have to accept it.

Sadly, some people refuse that gift. They think it sounds too simple. They don’t think they need it. For whatever reason, they refuse to accept this free gift of grace which makes us righteous. My faith in Jesus is “counted.” The inventory is taken. I am found righteous, not because of anything I have done but only because of Him. Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I give You all praise for giving me this gift of righteousness.

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Accountability, Bible, Conviction, End Times, Fire, God's Will, Judgment, Promises, Scripture

HOT DAYS

MALACHI 4:1

“‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘so that it will leave them neither root nor branches.’”

I am really enjoying the weather right now. I like cool and cold days. Why? Because I can always add another layer of clothing to keep warm. But in those hot summer days, it is difficult enough to take off enough clothing and still be able to go out into public. I don’t want to get arrested, lol.

A day is coming that will be the hottest yet. The Lord said it will be “burning like a furnace.” In fact, He said this day will turn all the evildoers into chaff, the ash that is left after an intense fire. Nothing will be left, even the root and branches will be gone. God’s judgment came that way then and still comes that way today. Nothing’s changed.

APPLICATION

I hunt on a piece of property that has been clear cut (all the trees removed for harvesting). Sometimes the lumber company will do a controlled burn afterwards to burn up all the debris left from the logging machines. I can tell they did that in some areas, but not in all. There are still a few trees standing and some logs and limbs lying around. It looks pretty barren as it is. I cannot imagine a scene like the Lord describes in today’s verse.

As believers in Jesus, we do not have to be concerned about being burned up into chaff. We will not face the wrath of God in judgment. Jesus took that upon Himself. As Isaiah says in Isaiah 53:4-5, “4 However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried; yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. 5 But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

That should leave you very thankful. As we close in on the end of Malachi (we started the last chapter today which only has six verses), take some time to reflect on the promises we have in a Savior who died in our place and then conquered death and is seated at the right hand of the Father. We certainly serve a glorious King.

Thank You, Father, for sparing me the punishment I deserve. Christ covered that with His blood.

P.S. For my frequent followers, I will be taking a short break when we finish Malachi in five days. I will pick back up on January 1. Pray that the Lord shows me where to go to next in our daily study.

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Bible, God's Will, Heaven, Promises, Remembering, Scripture

BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

MALACHI 3:16

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened attentively and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and esteem His name.”

After two experiences with chemotherapy, my memory is not what it used to be. In times past I could remember a phone number if I had dialed it once. I could remember events on my calendar without problem. But now, I rely on written lists and my phone to keep me sane. I need a book of remembrance, perhaps.

The one spoken of in today’s verse is interesting. Now, the Lord does not need a book to remember things. He does not forget anything. That book is for us. Notice who it says it is written for. It says, “and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and esteem His name.” Their deeds were recorded. Ours are recorded. Let’s look at some other verses where a book or books are mentioned.

APPLICATION

In Daniel 7:10, Daniel says, “the judgment was set, and the books were opened.’ John says in Revelation 20:12, “The books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Back in Exodus 32:32, Moses says to God, “If not, blot me out of Thy book which Thou hast written;” David prays in Psalm 69:28, “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written among the righteous.” Finally, our Lord bids His disciples in Luke 10:20, “‘Rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven.’”

Enough evidence of a book or books in heaven? I think so. We have nothing to fear if we are in Christ. Sure, some of our worthless works will be burned up, but our name is there. It is recorded. How? With the blood of Christ. When we give our lives to Him, our names are recorded. Our deeds may be written down, but our names are there. We are in the “good book,” lol.

I wonder if God thumbs through that book occasionally just to “catch up.” You think? Of course, He doesn’t need to, but maybe He just gets a little kick out of seeing what we have been up to. Oh yea, He already knows that, too.

I am forever grateful that I am in that book, Lord. Glance at it every once in a while.

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Appearance, Bible, Christ's Return, Future, God's Will, Judgment, Promises, Rapture, Scripture

I’M ON THE WAY

MALACHI 3:1

“‘Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Do you know what OTW means when you get a text message? It means On The Way. I have used that a few times, in fact, just the other day when a friend I was meeting texted me to find out where I was. Now OTW doesn’t tell anyone where you are. It is just a nice way to say that you will get there when you get there. Right?

Guess what? God told the people in today’s verse that He was OTW. He did not reveal when. He just said He would suddenly come to His temple. This verse is full of images and references to John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. But for the sake of staying in the context of Malachi, let’s stick with the fact that God did come, and judgment did fall on the people. The temple was destroyed, was rebuilt and then destroyed again.

APPLICATION

Do you believe Jesus is returning? He is OTW. We don’t know when, but He is. He told us so. In Luke 17:34-35 Jesus said, “‘34I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.’” We just don’t know when He is coming.

That should not put us off from preparing for His arrival. Just like John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ first arrival into ministry, we need to be preparing the world for Him to return. Jesus told his disciples, “And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’” (Luke 10:2) That is still true today.

In the ministry I serve, we are constantly looking for men who have a passion to disciple other men. We believe strongly the way to change a culture for Christ is to reach the men. Would you pray with me for more men to be called to full-time ministry to men? We want to reach the world for Christ and prepare it for His coming.

Father, we know Jesus is going to return. Give us direction to prepare the way for Him.

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Abiding, Bible, God's Will, Promises, Rest, Striving

MADNESS

ZECHARIAH 12:4

“‘On that day,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with insanity. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.’”

There have been times, as hard as I try, I just can’t accomplish something. I give it my best efforts. I am fully prepared, but I just can’t get it done. When that happens, I have learned to stop and look at what I am trying to do. Is it in the Father’s will? Is this of my own doing? Almost every time I discover I have been trying to do something I have no business trying to do. It is not God’s plan for me, at least not at that time.

The prophecy of chapter 12 continues in verse 4 with the Lord declaring victory over the armies that will assail Israel. He will confuse their horses and riders, even to the point of striking the horses blind. Most scholars point towards the battle of Gog and Magog, in which Israel will be defended by the Lord against all the nations that will come against her. They were trying to do something that God would not allow. What a promise!

APPLICATION

What are you banging your head against right now? Perhaps you are considering a move, but you cannot get a peace about it. Maybe it’s a job change, but try as you might, nothing happens. It could be a relationship that needs healing. You’ve tried all your “magic,” but nothing works. It could be that now is not the time for this. For some reason, God is blocking or just not allowing it to happen.

Psalm 46:10 comes to mind. “‘Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.’” I love this translation. Some say, “Be still,” but I like “Stop striving.” The Hebrew word has the picture of relaxing, of sinking into a relaxed position. Wow! That sure gives you a great visual, doesn’t it?

When is the last time you did that? Have you truly rested in God’s decisions for your life? He wants you to place yourself completely at His mercy. He is holding you in His hands. Stop trying to achieve something that you have no business trying to achieve. Just like those riders and horses that were stopped cold in their tracks, God can stop you also. But when you trust Him and allow Him to direct you, things are so much more relaxing.

O Father, I have been struggling against Your will on some things. Forgive me and show me how to rest in You.

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Abiding, Abundance, Bible, Boasting, Brokenness, Dependence, Enslavement, Filled, Glorify, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Promises, Scripture

FILLED UP

ZECHARIAH 10:10

“I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon until no room can be found for them.”

I have fond memories of family gatherings at my Grandma Carter’s house in Georgia. Just about every Thanksgiving and Christmas, all the family (uncles, aunts, cousins galore) would come and eat and laugh and eat some more. The house would literally be running over with people. Grandma didn’t have a big house, so every room was full. What a blast!

Here in verse 10 today, we see God promising that He will fill the land of Israel again to overflowing with His children who will return from Egypt and Assyria. What a change from the desolate landscape of previous years. People will be looking for places to live. But just like my Grandma’s house, these people will be celebrating and loving each other.

APPLICATION

God wants to fill you to overflowing with His love and His Spirit. You may feel like the children of Israel in Egypt and Assyria. You feel trapped, enslaved by some sin or some circumstance. Oh beloved, put your trust in the same God who delivered Israel. He knows exactly where you are. He allowed you to go there. So, He can bring you out. But you have to be willing to go with Him.

Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6-7, “6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” As you walk with the Lord, He will fill you to overflowing. Do you believe that? I do.

I experienced this recently on a trip to Africa. During the worship time at a conference, I was praying for our speaker when God suddenly drove me to my knees in prayer. I have never experienced that before. As I prayed, I began to weep, and then He spoke to me so clearly. He told me to have the men (about 100 of them from all over Africa) to pray over this speaker in their heart language. It was an incredible moment of overflowing. Allow Him to fill you, as well, as you submit to Him and give the Spirit room to move.

Lord, I praise You for Your Spirit which fills me to overflowing.

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Access, Allegiance, Bible, Calling, Children, Dependence, Faithfulness, Obedience, Promises, Scripture

WHISTLE

ZECHARIAH 10:8

“I will whistle for them and gather them together, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they were before.”

My dad was a great whistler. I did not inherit that trait. My wife makes fun of me every time I try to whistle. I would love to be able to whistle. It would come in handy from time to time to call a dog or maybe even a child. But I did not get than gene, lol.

In today’s verse, God just whistles and His children come. This same Hebrew word is used when God called the quail for His children and the bees to drive out their enemy. It is only used twelve times in the Old Testament. That might make a great word study for you sometime. The point is though, the people had to be somewhat attentive to the whistle of God to respond. I am sure His whistle was quite unique.

APPLICATION

I have never heard God whistle, but I have heard Him call my name. When I was sixteen, He called me to salvation. A few months later, I knew He called me to full time ministry. All through my life, at critical points, God has called me. Let’s just say He whistled, and I responded. How about you? Have you heard that unique whistle or call by God?

John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive Him, to all who believe in His name, He gave the right to be called children of God.” To receive and believe, you have to hear His whistle, His call. When we respond to that, we receive that promise – to be called His kids. I am God’s kid. He’s my Father. When He calls, I am supposed to come, just like any child should. When He whistles, I should listen for His direction.

Are you going to be listening for God’s whistle? When He calls, are you going to obey? It is pretty simple. He calls, we come. He whistles, we turn our attention to Him to see what’s next. When I played football in Junior High and High School, the coaches all had whistles they would blow to get our attention. We had better respond or there were consequences (extra laps, etc). There are dire consequences if we do not respond to God’s whistle. Listen up!

I am listening, O Lord, to hear Your whistle, Your call.

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Bible, Blessing, Faithfulness, Goodness, Promises, Rain, Scripture

SPRING RAIN

ZECHARIAH 10:1

“Ask for rain from the LORD at the time of the spring rain—The LORD who makes the storm winds; and He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each person.”

It’s been a pretty hot this summer where I live in Chattanooga, TN. We had a time of dry weather as well. It was so dry that the Baptist began baptizing with sprinkling and the Methodists were simply using a damp cloth. Not really, but it was pretty dry. When we finally got rain, you wanted to just stand out in it. People didn’t run from their cars into stores. Everyone was grateful.

Chapter ten of Zechariah begins where the last chapter left off. Remember, there were no chapter divisions in the original text. God continues to literally shower blessings on His people. This time He promises rain which was crucial for them to produce their crops. And He gave them at the time needed – spring. Just as they have finished sowing their seeds or planting, the rains came.

APPLICATION

Maybe you are saying right now, Carl, that is all well and good, but I am not a farmer. I don’t worry about spring rains. Let’s take a look at that for a minute. God may not need to send you rain, but He sends you other blessings. Can you name five things that God has blessed you with in the past year? How about in the past month? Week? We lose track of the blessings that are given which make it possible to “sow our fields.”

Just look at God’s promises to us. Deuteronomy 11:13-15 says, “13 ‘And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that He will provide rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, so that you may gather your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 He will also provide grass in your field for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.’”

I know I want God’s blessings. I’ll take the spring rains. So, I must live obediently. I must follow His commands. I must spend time with Him in prayer. I need to share the good news with my neighbors. I need to give thanks for all He has done for me and not take those blessings for granted. Will you join me?

Showers of blessings, indeed! I give You thanks, O Lord, for being faithful to bless as You promised.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Goodness, Money, Promises, Salvation, Scripture

DOUBLE BLESSING

ZECHARIAH 9:12

“Return to the stronghold, you prisoners who have the hope; this very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.”

Given the chance, I would love to double my money anytime. I would swap $10 for $20 all day long. Wouldn’t you? I have never been given that opportunity though. I have thought of playing the lottery but decided not to. Putting my hopes in a lottery doesn’t make a lot of sense. I will let the Lord double my blessings instead.

I just love this verse today in Zechariah. It reminds me of another book of the Bible. In the book of Job, he is restored double what he had lost AFTER he had gone through the test of suffering. Job 42:10 tells us, “The LORD also restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased double all that Job had.” When you get to heaven, ask Job if his suffering was worth it. I bet I know his answer.

APPLICATION

For us to receive those blessings from God, we must come to Him. Our verse says “return to the stronghold.” What is that? Or better yet, who is that? It is the Lord God Almighty. When we return there, He gives us hope. He promises to bless us abundantly. I recall Jesus saying in John 10:10 “‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.’”

Now when the Lord says we will have life abundantly, He means a lot. Our life in Him will be beyond measure. Am I saying we are going to be rich beyond our wildest dreams? Certainly not! Jesus will bless you in ways which you can’t measure by human terms. You can’t put them in a bank. But you’ll know you have the blessings.

Blessings come from the Father through the Son to us, the same path which our salvation comes. That is the greatest blessing of God – salvation. I would not even call this a double blessing. It is beyond description. Let’s just call it what Jesus did – abundant! Have you received it? If not, make today the day that you receive God’s double blessing He has promised.

My cup surely runneth over. I cannot contain all the blessings from You, O Lord.

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Abiding, Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Favor, Home, Oveflowing, Promises, Scripture

LET US GO WITH YOU

ZECHARIAH 8:23

“‘The LORD of armies says this: “In those days ten people from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”’”

I have seen many a child tug on their mother’s dress or coat as they are left in the church nursery. They cried out to them, “Please, let me go with you.” My own children did that. They did not like the nursery. They wanted to stay with us. Mind you, it wasn’t that they wanted to go to “Big Church” with us. It was more about just being with their parents.

In today’s verse, the last verse of chapter 8, the Lord closes out His blessing statements by saying that the Jews are going to be begged by others to take them along back to Israel. They had heard how God had defeated Israel’s enemies and had brought His people home. They wanted to be a part of that. They wanted whatever the Jewish people had.

APPLICATION

We should spread such a sweet fragrance of Christ wherever we go that those we pass will turn and say, “Boy, I want whatever they have.” Can that be said about you? Do people want to follow you? If you are following Christ, they will. Actually, they will be following Christ in you. There’s a big difference.

Why do I differentiate? Because we can become men followers instead of Christ followers. Christ says, “‘If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” Whew! Who wants to do that? Well, I do. I want to follow wherever He goes. Just like the people coming from the other nations to Israel, I want to be where God is doing something.

If no one is following you in your Christian walk, maybe you need to examine your walk. Ouch, Carl, that hurt. Well, I ask myself that question quite often. Does my aroma smell like Jesus? Does my walk imitate His walk? Would people want to follow me if I did this or that? Good questions to ponder, huh?

Lord, allow me to be more and more like You so others can be led to You.

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