A preacher was visiting a couple parishioners, and the trio was reading the Bible. They came to Matthew 28:20 where Jesus says, “Surely, I will be with you to the very end of the age.”
The preacher asked, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?”
“It’s not a promise. It’s a fact,” one of the parishioners replied.
Promises are made and broken in life. There are many reasons promises are broken; however, the Bible offers many promises which we can accept as fact. Being perfect, God always keeps his word.
Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.”
Looking through history, we find God keeping his word.
The people of Israel were promised land, and the Lord provided the land he promised. Generations passed from the time the promise was made until it was fulfilled, but God kept his word.
Joshua 21:43-45 states, “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession and settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled. Everything he had spoken came true.”
We turn the pages of history to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth. The angel promised the shepherds they would find a certain arrangement in the stable. They would find Mary, Joseph, and the baby, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:20 records, “The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.”
God keeps his promises.
History proves God is faithful. The Lord keeps his promises. You and I can rest assured the promises made in the Bible will be fulfilled.
Christians are promised God will be with us in this life, and we will spend the next life in Heaven. And, we know the Lord keeps his word.
Acting
Spend time dwelling on the promises made by the Lord. Find hope and confidence in these promises.
What is grace? Ask 20 people this question, and you will receive multiple answers.
Completely understanding God’s grace is difficult for us, so you and I may have doubts concerning the reality of God’s forgiveness. Here are 6 workable definitions of God’s grace, a picture of his grace, and how grace plays into our lives.
Here are 6 practical definitions of God’s grace.
1. God’s unmerited favor.
We do nothing to earn grace. God gives it to those who ask.
2. Unconditional Forgiveness.
In this way, grace is inclusive. God invites us to come as we are; grace meets us at our place and helps us get to a better place.
3. God’s one-way love to us.
A person may not love the Lord right now, but the Lord loves him or her. It is out of his love the invitation to grace is extended.
4. Grace is unconditional acceptance given to an undeserving person.
You and I are invited to come as we are. Our lives do not have to be perfect before grace comes into play. The Lord meets us where we are and takes us to a better place. Whether we do or do not deserve grace is not a question the Lord asks. He invites us all.
5. Grace sets us free.
Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom Christ has set us free.”
Grace can help us live a more fulfilling life.
6. Grace is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed, and you can not take credit for this. It is a gift from God.”
Here is a picture of grace.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a son wanting his father’s money. The son goes to his father and asks for his share of the inheritance. In the context of Jesus’ story, inheritance was usually given upon a parent’s death. So, the son is basically saying, “Dad, I wish you were dead. Give me your money.”
The father agrees and gives the young man his portion of the estate. The young man leaves home, plays hard in life for a time, and looses all his money. Fast forward a little, and we find the young man caring for pigs with nothing to eat.
Hungry and watching the pigs eat, the young man decides to try going home. He feels his father will at least let him be a servant. He does not believe being a son again is an option after the way he has acted. He heads for home, and the father’s response is a true picture of grace.
The father sees his son coming down the road, so he runs to meet and embrace him. Picture the scene Jesus paints. The smelly, dirty son who had been tending to the hogs being embraced by his father, who a short time earlier received a death wish. Not only did the father embrace the young man, he throws a celebration because his son is home.
This is grace. Unmerited, undeserving, unconditional forgiveness and love.
Here is how grace plays into our lives.
The same way the father ran to meet the son, The Lord runs to meet us. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been, we can always go back home.
Acting
What has grace done for you? Take a moment to thank the Lord.
What can grace do for you? Go back home.
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We watch the news, read the newspapers, and follow social media, and every day we are frustrated at all the hatred in the world. If everyone would just get along, how much better would the world be?
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you; pray for those who hurt you,” Jesus says in Luke 6:27-28.
I like this statement. Don’t you?
I like this statement until I realize Jesus is not just talking to everyone else. He is talking to me also. Love your enemies. Did God really have to put that in the Bible?
God put this statement in the Bible, so the answer is yes, it must be in there.
Stop and think for a moment. How much better would the world be if everyone had sacrificial love for one another? Bullies would not exist. Teamwork would increase in the workplace; backstabbing would stop. Groups with opposing views would compromise rather than sitting in their corners hating each other. The landscape would change drastically.
How to love your enemy?
Here’s how the Bible suggests living out this statement.
Luke 6:31 says, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”
This is the Golden Rule. If we do not want others to be rude to us, why are we rude to them. If we dislike bullying, why do we bully others. We don’t like backstabbers in our office, so why do we participate? We should treat others the way we desire to be treated.
Acting
How well do you live out the Golden Rule? If you are like me, there’s room for improvement, so set a goal to take a small step toward improvement each day. For example, set your daily goal not to be rude to a cashier no matter how you are treated in line.
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Is my influence large enough? Do I reach enough people to really make a difference? These are questions that come to mind as we struggle in our search for significance. This may be especially true in an era of Facebook and Instagram influencers with millions of followers. You look at their accounts and they have millions of followers, but your account does not. I look at their pictures and they have thousands of likes, but my pictures do not. So, we begin to doubt the importance of our influence.
We begin to wonder if we even matter, and ask, “Why do we even bother?” The Bible tells us we do matter. You and I may not be the Billy Graham of our era, but our influence is impactful.
A few will reach millions of people, some will reach thousands of people, but most of us will only reach a few people. Perhaps just one person, but our influence is still meaningful.
A Premium on One
The Bible places a high premium on reaching one person. Glimpse through Luke 15 and we see a high premium placed on reaching one person.
Seeking Out One
Jesus uses 3 parables in Luke 15 to help us understand the importance of reaching one person
A Lost Sheep
A shepherd had 100 sheep and 1 went missing. The shepherd leaves 99 of the sheep to seek out the one who is in danger. He celebrates when he finds the 1 sheep. If the sheep wasn’t important, he would have left it to stay with the other 99.
A Lost Coin
A widow loses a coin in her home, so she moves everything out and sweeps the house until she finds the coin. When she finds the coin, she celebrates. If the coin was not valuable, she would have not risked moving her possessions into the elements of the outdoors to find the coin.
A Lost Son
A father believes his son is never going to be back in his life, but when the boy returns, the father celebrates. He has a grand celebration because his son has come home. If his son was not significant, he would have not celebrated.
Rejoicing Over One
Luke 15 tells us each time one is found there is rejoicing.
Verse 7: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Verse 10: “In the same way I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Verse 32: “But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.”
Reaching just one person is important. Reaching one individual is significant. A small influence is still potent.
A Rock in a Lake
The significance of our influence is like throwing a rock in a lake. The rock hits the water sending out a wave. The first wave sends out a second wave. The second wave sends out a third wave and so on. Each circular wave grows. Each wave is larger than the previous. The wave action starts when the rock hits the water. Our influence is the rock starting the wave affect.
Jesus started with 12.
The Bible reminds us Jesus did not start with millions of followers. He started with only 12. His influence launched from there. The original 12 may have each only reached 12 people and so on. It did not take long until Jesus’ influence was huge.
Most of us will reach a few people and our influence will go out from there. We have a significant place in the Lord’s plan. Reaching a few is as important to the Lord as reaching millions. The Lord has put you and I in a place which matters to him. Our influence has significance.
Acting
With whom do you have an influence? Ask the Lord to help you seize opportunities you have to influence the people around you.
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The preacher thought she was drunk and scolded her for showing up at church under the influence of wine. Hannah quickly explained she wasn’t drunk. She was just that involved in her prayer. She said she was pouring her heart out to the Lord.
You and I have wants and needs. We struggle with the challenges of life. How well do we pray about those needs, wants, and challenges? Embarrassment or fear may stop us from praying, but the Bible reminds us there is no need to be embarrassed or afraid when talking with our Heavenly Father. We can be unashamed and persistent.
An Illustration
Talking about prayer, Jesus tells the story of a man who had an unexpected guest in the middle of the night. He runs to his refrigerator and its empty. He checks the pantry and only finds dust on a shelf. He has no food to offer his guest, so he runs to the neighbor’s house.
He wakes the neighbor at midnight by banging on the door. “Give me some food,” he says. “I’ve had an unexpected guest and have nothing to offer.” The man inside yells back, “Go away!”
But he keeps banging and banging until the man gets up and gives him what he needs for his guest.
Be Unashamed and Persistent
Jesus says in Luke 11:8, “But I tell you this, though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.”
You and I can be unashamed and persistent in our prayers.
Unashamed
The foodless man in Jesus’ story is unashamed to announce his problem. He has no shame in telling his neighbor what he needs. Nothing is hidden. The man lays everything before his neighbor in a shameless way.
Do you approach prayer in a shameless way? Do you lay everything before the Lord?
This can be hard at times. When we do something good, we have no problem talking with the Lord about it, but when we make mistakes, we’d rather not discuss those with our dad.
Talking about imperfections is hard. No one wants to admit he was a jerk. No one wants to admit she was cranky, but the Lord already knows. He knows you and I are not perfect, and he wants to help us grow.
“Dear friends, now we are children of God. We have not yet been shown what we will be in the future, but we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him,” 1 John 3:2 reminds us.
Nothing is hidden from the Lord. Since he knows everything, you and I have nothing to hide. We can be unashamed in prayer. We can be honest with our feelings and ask the Lord to help us in every situation. Prayer is a safe place. Our Heavenly Dad desires to hear from us and will not be upset if we are unashamed in our conversation.
Persistent
The foodless man did not accept no as an answer. His neighbor told him to go away, but he continued to knock until the man answered his request. His persistence paid off. He received food for his guest.
“Keep praying,” Jesus encourages.
“So, I tell you continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will open for you. Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find, and whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them,” encourages Luke 11:9-10.
Hannah was so emotionally involved in her prayer she was accused of being drunk. 1 Samuel 1 records Hannah having a rough time in life. She was not afraid to talk with the Lord about her problem. She became so physically involved in her prayer it was thought she was under the influence. When questioned, Hannah explained, “I’m pouring my heart out before the Lord.”
Hannah was shameless and persistent in her prayer. How well do we pour our hearts out before the Lord? We do not have to be embarrassed or fearful before our dad in Heaven.
Our intimate conversations with him can be private. In fact, Jesus encourages us to pray in the closet. Pouring our hearts out before God can be a freeing, but vulnerable, experience, so we can do it in a private setting.
Acting
Are you angry? Tell the Lord.
Are you struggling? Tell the Lord.
Are you embarrassed by something in your life? Tell the Lord.
Anything else? Shamelessly tell the Lord. Persist in prayer.
The lyrics of an old hymn say, “What a friend we have in Jesus. What a privilege to carry everything to him in prayer.”
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