TOPIC: Keeping Promises
MEMORISE: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? – Numbers 23:19
READ: John 5:14-16
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
MESSAGE
Many times, our attitude to a promise is determined by the person making the promise. For example, if your friend promises to buy you a car, you will simply assume that he or she is referring to some time in his or her adulthood. However, if a billionaire asks you to come and choose your dream car next week, you will be full of joy because you know it will happen.
As a child of God, you ought to start celebrating now because the One who has made great promises to you is Jehovah ElShaddai, which means ‘The Lord who is more than enough’ (Genesis 17:1). He has never failed in fulfilling His promises to me, and I know He will not fail you. Check the promises He has made to you and your family; rejoice and believe that they will surely come to pass.
My dear child, as God never fails to fulfil His promises, you must also keep your promises. If you cannot follow through with a promise, do not make it so you will not hurt the fellow you have promised. However, if you have made a promise that would not please God, it is better to obey God instead and apologise to the fellow.
KEY POINT:
Keep to your words.
HYMN 7: I Am Thine O Lord.
1 I am Thine, O Lord
I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Chorus:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessd Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
3 Oh the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
4 There are depths of love
that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy
that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joel 1:1-3:21, Revelation 1:1-20
AUTHORS: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE AND PASTOR FOLU ADEBOYE