Eyes

 We are all aware of the adage that seeing is believing. We’ve likely all used it at some point in our day-to-day lives, with Thomas being the epitome of needing to see something before he believed it to be true.

If I can see something, then I believe it to be real. Granted, with deep fakes and doctored videos, even seeing something doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it’s true, but for the most part, one has an easier time believing what they can see.

When it comes to the promises of God, however, the process is inverted in that we no longer see that we might believe. Rather, we believe that we might see. The reward of those who believe is to see.

It requires faith to stand on the promises of God. You must believe without seeing that you might see that which you believe. I’m not trying to make it needlessly complicated, but too many today are confused about the order of things, and because they expect it to be different, they lose heart, patience, and faith along the way.

Hebrews 10:36-38, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

Is the promise received before or after one does the will of God? Can someone who has not surrendered, repented, or been sanctified hope to receive the promises of God?

These are worthwhile questions to ponder because there is a difference between doing the will of God that you may receive the promise and sending a check in to your preferred televangelist to have all your dreams come true.

I believe in giving. I believe in being generous. I believe in using the resources we’ve been given to further the kingdom of God, but I do not believe that my giving any amount of money will cause the promises of God to be manifested in my life. That was never one of the prerequisites.

If that’s the reason you are giving to a ministry or a preacher, you’re giving for the wrong reason. God’s not running a Ponzi scheme. You don’t put in five bucks to get ten back. You cast your bread upon the waters that you might find it after many days.  

We have the promises, we have specific directions as to how we can access the promises, and even a reminder that after we have done the will of God, we must be patient, have endurance, and not draw back. As much as we would like to deny it, God’s promises are conditional. I understand this is a thorny issue, but ignoring it won’t make it any less thorny.  

We can never forget who God is. If something He has promised has not come to pass, it isn’t because He is incapable of carrying it out or unable to make it so. He is God! Nothing is impossible to Him.

Job 42:2, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.”

Not only is God all-powerful, but He is also unchanging. It’s not as though He will change His mind on a whim or decide not to honor His promises to His children because He’s having a bad day. From everlasting to everlasting, He is God, and the promises He made are as valid today as they were the day He made them.

The promises God makes to His children are as big as the God who makes them. That’s saying something and should give you both comfort and joy. The promises of God are no small thing. They are not paltry or irrelevant; they are not something you would find elsewhere if you were to grow impatient while you waited. The promises God makes are exclusive to God because there is none other in heaven or on earth that can make good on such promises.  

That’s the thing; men can make promises all day long, but they’re not promises they have the wherewithal to keep. The devil, likewise, makes promises that he never intends to keep but seduces the gullible nonetheless. The promise of sin is pleasure, not despair. Yet, once sin has taken root, the momentary pleasure vanishes, and all that remains is despair, self-loathing, and regret.

Only God is able to keep His promises fully, with the intent of doing so in the manner in which His promises were presented.

What wondrous things you will behold after you have done the will of God.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.