“By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
and precious promises
The third description of our promises is that they are “precious.” “Precious” carries the idea of value or worth. God’s promises are valuable. His promises are fundamental to the believer’s way of life. The promises of God are of considerable worth to those who use them. Peter uses “precious” for faith (1 Pe 2:7; 2 Pe 1:1) and Christ’s blood (1 Pe 1:19).
God’s promises are His guarantees that He will be there for us. He deems us valuable by making promises to us.
He 13:5, “Let your conduct [behavior] be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”
The phrase in Hebrews “never leave” in Greek is “I will never, ever, ever, ever ever leave you [five particles].” That is quite an emphatic commitment to us!!
PRINCIPLE:
God makes guarantees to believers.
APPLICATION:
Stake out the Bible, find special promises that fit your situation, and then claim those promises. Hold God to those promises. He will make good on His promises to you. God is faithful to Himself and to you.
With His “promises,” God makes voluntary and spontaneous commitments to us. A promise from God is His guarantee. We have a ground of expectation from God because He is faithful to His Word. Sometimes employers make promises to their employees that they do not keep. Sometimes they make promises to raise the employee’s salary, and then they find that they have lost their jobs. We will not get this kind of surprise from God. He is always faithful to what He says.
We find all God’s promises in the Bible. His promises are not like the promises of a politician. He will make good on His promises. Try some of these promises on for size.
Nu 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?”
Is 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”
Is 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Ro 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
2 Co 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
2 Co 7:1, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Php 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Php 4:19-20, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
