Promises, Promises

2 Corinthians 7
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.   2 Corinthians 7:1


LET IT GLOW

"I promise you I will...."
Have we heard that line or spoken it ourselves just to turn around and break the promise we made? Maybe I didn't use the word "promise," but I said I would do something and then not do it. Guilty. What happened to the days of "one's word"  being worth a hand shake or signing on the dotted line? It's gone, I'm afraid. We don't take our words, promises,  serious enough. That's why there are 20 pages to sign when one takes out a loan at the bank. They cover all bases, don't they? And so it should be for their protection.
Promises, promises. What things do I say I will do, and don't do it? What things do I say I won't do, but do it? Something to consider.
Matthew 5:37 tells us,"But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatasoever is more than these cometh of evil."

A promise, according to Webster's Dictionary, is one's pledge to another that one will or will not do something.; give one's word to.

I'm here to tell you that there is one who keeps his promises-our Heavenly Father, God. If He says it, we can "take it to the bank" so to speak. Look at the first verse again. I had to ask, "What promises is Paul talking about?"

Here's what The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible says they are:

• That God will walk in His temple (us) (2 Cor. 6:16).
• He will dwell in His churches.
• He will be their God, and they His people.
• He will receive them (2 Cor. 6:17).
• He will be their Father, and they His sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:18).
• He will give them a new heaven and new earth.
• Christ will come back to receive His believers.
• They had communion with God.
• They were received, protected, and preserved by Him.
• They had promises and blessings of grace, absolute and unconditional.

It sounds like a good beginning of a list. There are hundreds of promises in the Bible. What He made to the people in the Old and New Testament times, applies to us, brothers and sisters.

Will you share with us one of your favorites?
Mine is found in Hebrews 13:5, which quotes parts of Gen.28: and Joshua 1:5, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."


LET IT GROW

Verse 10 in the NLT states,"For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death."

Blackaby says in the devotional book, Experiencing God Day-By-Day:

There is a difference between worldly sorrow and  godly sorrow, though both are deeply felt. You can feel genuine sorrow over something you have done. Your mind can become consumed with your failure and offense against God and others. Judas had this kind of sorrow. He betrayed the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver, the standard price of a slave. Yet his sorrow did not lead him to repent and to seek restoration with his fellow disciples, but rather to a lonely field where, in his anguish, he took his own life (Matt. 27:3-5). Judas carried his sorrow to his grave.
How different Peter's sorrow was! Peter, too, failed Jesus on the night of His crucifixion. Peter also went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). Yet Peter returned to Jesus and reaffirmed his love for Him (John 21:15-17). Peter was not only remorseful; he was also repentant. Peter's life changed. There is no record of Peter ever denying his Lord again, even when he was persecuted and threatened with death. Peter repented, turned his life around, and never committed that sin again.

Which reaction will (we) I have?
God wants the godly kind of sorrow which leads us away from sin and to repentance. God sees my heart and knows if I am sincerely sorry for my sins.


LET IT GO

Keep my promises.

Repent with godly sorrow and turn away from that sin.