But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune
Joshua 21:44
And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass
Exodus 33:14
And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth
Nehemiah 9:8
And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous
2 Corinthians 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God
Hebrews 6:11
And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises
2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self- control, and self- control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind
Do you ever read God’s word with the intent of seeing His promises? They are numerous and are showing us how God’s faithfulness in the past, present and future. How we look at these promises will determine how we live our life for Him. If I were to only look at the promises of blessings (grace, mercy, love) and never give thought to those of penalty (discipline, wrath, destruction, curse) how is it possible to understand the fullness of the blessings. If I do not understand, that in my sinful nature, I deserve penalty how will I live a humble, thankful, faithful, servant life for Him. It is good for us to remember who we are and who God is. Our purpose is not for the purpose in this life is not for collecting blessings but rather to live a humble submissive servant life that honors and glorifies Him. When you read of God’s promises there is none greater than John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. In this we see both eternal destruction and eternal life. When we understand the promise with both of it’s outcomes it opens our heart to see just how great God’s love is for those who hear His calling and follow him.
