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Please read
2 Peter 3-4 as you meditate on this
New Year’s Newsletter.
2 Peter 1:4 declares that God
has given to us His precious and magnificent promises. They
are now our own personal possessions. God has lavished these
promises on His beloved children. Christians do tend to neglect these
promises. The personal consequences of such neglect can be severe.
These promises come to us
“by these” – by God’s own glory and excellence [v. 3].
They are an incalculable treasure. They unleash the experience of God’s own
glorious person and providence in our day.
These promises are given to
us so that by them we might become “partakers” of God’s own
“divine nature”. Our freedom from the world’s corruption is
experienced progressively as these promises enable us to become more
like Him!
The world forces of
darkness cherish the thought of facing us in battle while we are without
the power and protection of these promises. Therefore they are to be
internalized. They are to incite our utmost confidence in God.
These promises are laden
throughout the Scriptures. They are varied, intricate, numerous, and
fashioned by God to deal with any and every spiritual need. These
“precious and magnificent” promises are invaluable because if we
lean upon them our Lord faithfully brings His grace into our lives.
They direct our focus off
difficulty onto His greatness. They protect us from the burden of
facing troubles apart from the Lord’s sustaining power and love.
For example, in Rev 3:20
we read: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him,
and he with Me.” Here God vividly pictures His longing to
fellowship with us closely. He is knocking upon the door, so to speak, so
that we might open our hearts and experience
intimate communion.
[By the way, Rev 3:20
may be a direct promise for the unsaved to receive the rich blessings of salvation
although application here is for both believers and the lost.]
Rev 3:20 is an amazing
promise, and just one of so many. They are a vast storehouse from which we
may partake of His “nature” at any time through faith. Let us not walk as
spiritual paupers. Let us rely wholeheartedly upon the promises of God.
SELF-EVALUATION AND APPLICATION FOR 2012
Are you walking by faith?
Have you been leaning upon God’s precious and magnificent promises or are
you impoverishing your soul through neglect?
If so, take these three
steps to kindle your faith.
1. Search the Scriptures and identify two
or three promises tightly
related to your need for
His provision.
2. Meditate prayerfully on these very
promises throughout the week.
3. Watch with
confident anticipation as God demonstrates His steadfast
commitment to
respond to us because we are holding onto the specific
promises of His
Word. This kind of faith pleases God, and He responds.
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