Standing on the Promises

(photo credit: philmoser.com)

"With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1, The Message)

It is interesting sometimes to note how the Bible is laid out for us. Some people are not aware that the original manuscripts that were eventually collected to make up our Bible did not contain chapter and verse divisions.Those came about centuries later. As a result, we sometimes get a chapter division that makes sense if we are reading the whole book in context, but lacks information if we just start reading at the beginning of a chapter. 

Like this one: "With promises like this ..." What promises? We have to look back to chapter 6.

"But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way: 'I'll live in them, move into them; I'll be their God and they'll be my people. So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,' says God. 'Don't link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself. I'll be a Father to you; you'll be sons and daughters to me.' The Word of the Master, God." (6:16-18)

Now those are wonderful promises! That should make us feel really special. But simply making us feel special is not what God had in mind. That's why Paul continues by saying that those promises should motivate us to "make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God." 

Or as Oswald Chambers says, "God’s perspective is that through His promises I will come to recognize His claim of ownership on me."

Question: What will you do with God's promises today?

Leave a comment.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.