God Is a Promise Keeper

Has anyone ever promised you something, then not fulfilled their word. I am sure they have. Have you ever wondered why? There are no doubt as many reasons as there are unfulfilled promises, but consider these:

• Often people get caught up in the moment. They may be full of good intentions, but they never look at the end result, that of fulfilling the promise. The here and now is what is important to them. It feels just as good to promise as it does to keep the promise.
• After making the promise, they may realize the difficulty involved in seeing it through. Rather than go the extra mile they simply move on leaving a trail of hurt behind.
• Perhaps it is a matter of pride. Many promises are made by individuals who do not have the ability to produce. Rather than admit their weaknesses, they promise, but they are never able to deliver. While hoping you forget, they call up excuse after excuse.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes a promise as "a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified; or a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act."

Broken promises leave in their wake a string of hurt, bad feelings, unforgiveness, and animosity. When we don't keep a promise to someone, it communicates to that person that we do not value him or her. Now, put the shoe on the other foot. Could that promise breaker be you?.

As we break promises to others, we not only belittle them, but we harm ourselves as well. Think what we really accomplish by not following through with our promises.

When you break a promise you are putting something ahead of your commitment, your word. You are speaking volumes about not only what you think of others, but ultimately, what you think of yourself.

Rather than face the low-down rascal we have become, we begin a series of justifications.We begin to believe it is acceptable to not follow through with something we promised. We begin to think it is okay to let someone down. As long as it is okay, our conscience is soothed, at least temporarily. In the long run however, our reputation is damaged, quite often beyond repair. It is not uncommon for a broken promise to leave behind broken friendships - and when the friend is also a family member, the pain is increased significantly. Let me ask you. Is it worth it?

I am told there are over 7,000 promises in the Bible. Jesus Himself said that His words are faithful and true (Revelation 21:5). That is a good promise to begin with. We are promised that the words we find in Scripture can be counted on. We can depend on every word of Scripture including the 7,000 promises. Certainly we will not look at all 7,000, but let us take a brief look at seven.

You say, "The situation is impossible." Jesus said". . . The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). He means what He says. He will do the impossible in your life if you allow Him to.

You say, " I'm too tired to carry on from day to day." The Promise Keeper tells us again in Matthew 11:28, 29 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Lay your burdens down at the foot of the cross. Let Jesus take them. And when you lay them down, do not go back and pick them up again.

You say, "Nobody really loves me.” What about the beautiful promise of the best loved and most quoted verse in the entire Bible, John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God cannot love you more than He does, nor can He love you less. His love is constant. When you are in need of a hug, go to Jesus.

You say, "I can’t do it.” I once came across an interesting quote - "If you believe you can, or if you believe you can't, you're right." To the one who follows in the footsteps of positive thinking, that may sound good, but the Bible gives us a different thought. Let me give you the bad news first. John 15:5 tells us that we can do nothing within ourselves - ". . . without me [Jesus] ye can do nothing." The good news is very positive. We are told in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." The ability and power to accomplish things in this life rests in Christ. That should take much of the pressure off of our day to day experiences.

You say, "It’s not worth it.” Oh, it absolutely is. It is so easy to get worn down, to grow weary in the battle, to want to give up - but don't you do it! We have the promise of Galatians 6:9 which says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

The farmer plants his crop in the spring, but he does not reap until months later. It is that patience in between that brings forth the harvest. You may have planted in the spring, and you feel that your harvest is past, but "let us not be weary in well doing." It may be that tomorrow will be the day of reaping. With each passing day we get closer. Keep at it.

You say, “I can’t forgive myself.” Have you forgotten the promise of God in I John 1:9? "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If we level with God, and admit our wrongdoing, He will always, always forgive us. If God can forgive you, then certainly you ought to forgive yourself - and others who have offended you..What about the promise Rom. 8:1? "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

You say, “I’m always worried and afraid.” Humanly, that is understandable, but we have a better promise in I Pet. 5:7 - "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." God cares for you so much more than you care for yourself. He will watch over you and protect you. He will overcome the darts of the enemy. Remember too, that 90% of the things we worry about never come to pass. II Tim. 1:7 continues, " For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Get your eyes off the circumstances and look to Jesus.

You say, “I feel all alone.” Life can be discouraging at times. We can be overcome with loneliness as we feel we are the only one. Be sure that is not the case. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us of the promise of God, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee . . . "

So there you have it! Just follow Christ, your Promise Keeper, and He will fulfill the promises He has made to you. There are still another 6,993 promises left to explore in the Bible. Take some time, and see how many you can find - and then live by them.