Promises

Hosea 14: 4-8

4The LORD says, I will bring my people back to me. I will love them with all my heart; No longer am I angry with them. 5I will be to the people of Israel Like rain in a dry land. They will blossom like flowers; They will be firmly rooted Like the trees of Lebanon. 6They will be alive with new growth, And beautiful like olive trees. They will be fragrant Like the cedars of Lebanon. 7Once again they will live under my protection. They will grow crops of grain And be fruitful like a vineyard. They will be as famous as the wine of Lebanon. 8The people of Israel will have nothing more to do with idols; I will answer their prayers and take care of them. Like an evergreen tree I will shelter them; I am the source of all their blessings.
It’s all very well and good for God to be making promises, and for non believers its hard not only to maybe believe in God but the fact that God keeps promises. I mean think about it. Man makes promises and granted man does keep some of them but man also breaks them too.
First promise that God makes is that he forgives. That he loves us and will forgives us and bring us. A love that is unconditional.
Second promise is that he will refresh us. I don’t know about you but when I go to church or I spend time in prayer or I am doing bible study when its finished I feel so refreshed especially at church. God’s Holy Spirit filling me up again for another week to be working in my life. God doesn’t leave us. Its one thing to love us and because of that he gives us fuel. Just like a parent feeds a child.
Third promise that when we do things that is with god’s blessing that it will flourish. Ever wonder why relationships may not work? It’s not because that God breaks them up it doesn’t work because its not meant to. I am not saying that God wanted us to have nuclear weapons but what I am saying that nuclear power is a good renewable energy that when done safely is good. It is man that has turned it into a lethal weapon. Fourth promise is that we will be alive. That we will not be boring people with boring lives. We will be boring people with lives if that’s what you want to be. But God promises that our lives will not be like that!
Fifth promise is that we will be beautiful. "Your body is a temple" 1 Corinthians 6: 19. How many temples and churches are beautiful? It may not be that you feel a beauty on the outside but there is an inner beauty. And that will seep through to the outside. God made you how he wanted you to look. He made you beautiful whether you find that easy to believe or not, it’s true.
Sixth promise is that God will protect us. That he will shield us from the enemy. We may let man in and Satan will try to tempt us but Satan will not kill us personally. We are the redeemed through Jesus and we will never die! Already God is pointing to the cross.
Seventh promise is that we will be famous. Maybe not in the sense of Beckham but we will be famous that God will know our name, that people will have known us for the good things we have done in God’s name.
And who do we have to thank for making these promises and keeping them? The God who is the same yesterday, Today and forever. Amen

Andi (age 19)