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Listen while you read: "O Jesus I Have Promised"1 (Lyrics) |
Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Deuteronomy 31:8 – The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (NIV)
Over four decades ago, when I stood at the altar before the minister who performed the marriage ceremony between me and my husband, I made a promise of faithfulness to him "till death do us part". Quoting Matthew 19:6b (KJV), the minister announced, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." That day, I promised myself that I would adhere to those words. Over forty years later, I am still here, and I kept my promise. I could have broken that promise many times over, but I chose to keep it. Why? Because I took that promise seriously.
Throughout my life, I have made several promises to various people. I have followed through with some, but soon after making others, I have forgotten about them. To this day, I can vividly recall with regret some that I didn't keep — not because I didn't want to or because they were unimportant — I just didn't! But every promise is important. A promise can be a matter of life or death to someone.
When I was a child, I made another promise — it was my first, simple, powerful promise: I promised Jesus that I would love Him — and I do! Every time I hear the hymn, "O Jesus, I have promised", it fills me with joy. John Ernest Bode (1816-1874) wrote the words, and the tune which I know is by Arthur Henry Mann (1850-1929). The words and the music are beautiful.
When I made that promise, I was a child. I am now decades older, and I intend to follow it through to the end. Although all promises are important, such a promise has eternal consequences. When we promise to do something for Jesus, we must follow through with it.
Our promises to Jesus are made in response to God the Father Who has made many promises to us: to strengthen us, to give us rest, to care for our needs, to answer our prayers. And He gave us Jesus, His Son, Who died on the cross to give us forgiveness for our sins.
Isaiah 41:13 – For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (NIV)
God's promises to us are written throughout the Bible. God has made numerous promises to us, and He keeps all of them. He never forgets His promises to you and me — He follows through with every one of them.
Do you believe all of God's promises to you? Do you keep all your promises to Him?
Prayer: Our heavenly Father, thank You for all Your promises to us, and for giving us Jesus. Help us to keep our promises to You. Amen!
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Thank you for sharing these truths.
What a comforting message – thank you.
Thanks for the encouraging words, Yvonne.
Thanks, Yvonne. A good challenge and examples for all of us.
Thank You, Yvonne, for your sharing of your meditation!
(ON)
Thanks for this challenge, Yvonne! Very much appreciated,
(BC)
Thank you for your wonderful devotional today on promises to God and others. What you have written is so true. I thank you for the many devotionals you have contributed to date. I have appreciated every one of them.
(ON)
Hi Yvonne,
Understood, rejoicing, celebrating, and thankful all at the same time for all these many wonderful years. Four decades+ for me too!
Thank you for the reminder and God bless.
Many thanks Yvonne for your devotional today. How thankful we need to be each and every day for the ever-present love and care we receive from Jesus. He never fails His promise to us and thus, so important we keep our promise to Him. Many blessings for these mindful and encouraging writings you prepare and share with us.
I find myself forgetting God’s promises, and living with anxieties and fears that do more harm than good. That’s why I read through the Psalms every month – they are full of confessions and prayers and promises (from ‘man’ to God), but when someone like you reminds me in such a beautiful way, of HIS promises to me/us, from both new and old testaments, I hear and renew my trust in HIM. Thank you so much.
Hi Yvonne
Thank you. An important book that I read toward the end of my ministry was called “Finishing Strong.”
It highlighted that a weak record of many ministers at the end of their ministry. I vowed that I would finish strong … something that, with God’s grace, I’ve been able to do to date. I pray regularly that I’ll continue until the day God calls me home.
Blessing,
(BC)
Marriage is a tough road as is the journey of human life. Blessings.