God Is Good - Pt 6

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:20-22, ESV). There have been so many who have tried to reverse the flow of God’s promises. There are those who seek to make the path from us to Him. Usually we hear it said in terms of what we will need to do to capture the promises. If we pray enough, if we worship enough, if we minister enough… the list is seemingly endless; but, each item begins with us doing something to elicit the promise of God. The Apostle Paul simply states that the promises of God are not to be found in our actions. They have all found their “yes in Him.” They begin and end with Him. Now, there is the assurance we need for our present trouble. It may seem as if I am advocating doing nothing. Prayer, worship, ministry might be thought to mean little, if anything, to me. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is not about the “what” but the “who” in our relationship. We do not pray to get something from God as if he were some cosmic vending machine… put your prayers in and get your blessings out. We do not worship as if that awakens our God to our need. We do not minister so that we may measure up in the balance of judgment. We pray, worship, minister, and all of the other things we do simple because he has loved us and we cannot help but be drawn to do these things. My two grandchildren have been amazing while I recuperated from surgery. This is really the first real illness anyone in our family has had since they were born. Of course, just the word “cancer” becomes a frightening prospect for them. We were careful to explain that the type of cancer I had was very treatable and the likelihood of a full recovery was very good. However, to see them turn their attention to simple trust in what they were told was quite encouraging. Because Kyle and Brandy told them the truth they felt an assurance that I would be just fine. Was that because of anything they did? Was their assurance found in their faith in the doctors? Was there something they were doing to give them encouragement for the future? Of course not! Their relationship to their parents made it easy for them to believe. Their “yes” was enough. Can I tell you again… God has already said YES to your good! The long look is for eternal, unchangeable good! Whatever you are facing today, face it knowing God has already determined your good. Nothing can change that! Open your heart and soul to the grace of God that he is pouring into you through Christ.