Power in the Promises

SCRIPTURE: 2 Peter 1:4-5 says:  And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.  In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.

THOUGHTS: In our sermon series this Spring we're looking at the ways in which the Bible shows us how to overcome sin in our lives so that we can live lives of what the early Methodists called "holiness of heart and life." In this Scripture passage, Peter indicates that one of the ways we can overcome the sin he calls "the world's corruption caused by human desires," is to "make every effort to respond to God's promises." How do we do that?

Well, where do we find the most complete list of promises God has given humanity through the ages? In the Bible. How can we find out what those promises are? Look in the Bible for them! I heard a seasoned leader in the Nazarene denomination say years ago that when he hit a really difficult season in life, he'd start searching the Bible carefully with the prayer, "Lord -- show me a promise for my life right now..." I like that. It's intentional. It's faith-full.

ACTION: Make sure you have a daily routine of reading at least a small portion of the Bible, and you'll often come across promises God wants you to see and believe in and trust in for your life. But you can also take a sizable portion like a couple of chapters or a small book in the Bible like 2 Peter, and read it now with that prayer:

PRAYER: "Lord -- show me a promise for my life right now..."