Promises Made. Promises Kept.

I promise you….if elected, I’ll…..
I promise you….for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health, till death parts us…..
I promise you….I’ll never tell your secret….
I promise you….I'll be at your game (recital, performance).…
I promise you….I’ll be there right on time….
You know – all those promises someone made, or we made, maybe kept – maybe didn’t and regret it? Maybe we couldn’t help it when we broke the promise, but still, we were a promise-breaker. Oh, that we were able to ALWAYS be promise keepers. People of integrity, honor, commitment. People you can count on -- who are good for the promise they made.

I sincerely want to be a promise keeper, but who hasn’t, in weakness, fallen short on keeping a promise? Which brings me to the ONE infallible One Who we CAN count on. If He said it, we can believe it – it will come to pass. Maybe not in our timing – but always His.

Most of us who are Christ's followers have a favorite scripture promise we’ve memorized. It is the one we cling to during tough times and very often there are more than one. I am partial to Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” I also remind myself, on a regular basis, of this promise from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” God kept those promises to me.

Some people take those promises and think if we click our heels three times, squeeze our eyes shut, like a great Almighty “treat” dispenser, all they’ve requested will be delivered as fast as Amazon Prime. God’s promises are not true because we believe in them. They don’t come to pass because our faith is great. God’s promises come to pass simply because God said them.

Our God is faithful. Everything He promised will surely come to pass. Sometimes it's not in a minute, month or year. We may have to wait for it. God promised the Israelites the promised land, but not all of them saw it. Some perished in the desert due to plagues, some due to earthquake, etc. Yet God was faithful in His word. He fulfilled what He said He would. There was a delay because the people disobeyed and sinned against Him and doubted Him despite seeing His mighty acts and power. If God says it, we can count on it. “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

I wrote this blog because I’m thinking about the many who don’t believe in God because they've only known promise breakers. We live in a "fatherless" generation. So many don't know our Father God of promises and love and faithfulness. They live hopeless -- void of truth. I’m sorry for them. I pray for laborers into their pathways -- that their eyes will be opened to the love and mercy of our great God. He never fails in His promises. Maybe you've only known promise-breakers. I pray that you will come to know God Who is our great promise-keeper. And, for those of us who do know Him, may our purpose-driven lives be full of assurance that He will never fail us. He is our promise-keeper. Delays are meant for our good. The promise may seem slow in getting here, but I assure you – it will come to pass.

"Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised." Romans 4:20-21

They Gave Me a Blank Check

My children were heading out of town. I needed to oversee some contractors that were painting their home while they were gone. They left a few blank, signed checks for me to give them when they finished. Aw! Blank, signed checks! Good thing I'm honest and dependable because it could sure have been tempting to use one of those checks to get me to Tahiti and beyond!

If there were ever a “blank check” verse in the Bible, this is it:
Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." I have so many of those "exceeding abundantlies" in my life. The one I am most grateful for -- that I even spoke of to my children in my early morning text message to them is the joy of the Lord that is in my heart. Seriously, I could complain about so many things. I just won't. A joy that is exceedingly abundantly has superseded any doubt, fear, loneliness, or any other negativity, is down in my heart.

A tangible "exceedingly abundantly" I recall was when we were in a season of financial crisis. We were still strong believers in the "blank check" principal of "God will do exceedingly abundantly according to the power that works in us." We did believe, and put our absolute trust in our faithful God. My husband, a man of faith, found a 6,000 sq ft spec home in a nearby subdivision, convinced the builder we should move into it and help him market that home and other homes and lots he had for sale. The builder said, "I don't know why I'm doing this -- but, okay -- let's do it!" So we moved into that home. Ron sold three homes and 13 lots within six-short months and not only did he continue to have success there, we purchased that 6,000 sqft home and made it our place of business and ministry for years. God did the exceedingly abundantly for us because God's power was working strong in us. We did not limit our "exceedingly abundant" God.

Maybe there are things that you need, but are afraid to ask and believe God for them. Just know that He is able to do far more than you could even dream of. I’m a pretty big dreamer. God says, “Donna, think of the greatest thing you could ever dream of, the greatest thing you think I could do in your life. Guess what? I can top that.”

If there were tears in Heaven, it would probably be because we would get there and realize all the things that we could have done if we had just believed God a little bit more. I think I'd shed a few tears -- to see everything I could have accomplished if I had just believed God more. But there are no tears in Heaven and God gives us everything we need right now to accomplish what He has planned for us. I challenge you to dream big about your relationships, your marriage, your family, your career, and your ministry to others. Your faith can turn those dreams into reality, because God is able to do far more than we would dare to ask or even dream..

Faith turns God-given dreams into reality. Nothing happens until somebody starts dreaming! The Bible is full of people who had God-given dreams. Abraham dreamed of being the father of a great nation. Moses dreamed of setting God’s people free. Joseph dreamed of saving a nation and his own family. If we'd look around us, we'd find many dreamers who refused to quit. They stirred up God's power in them and saw the exceedingly abundantly in their lives. Why not you?