Thursday, August 13, 2020

NEVER forgotten by God

“I will remember my covenant.” Genesis 9:15 

Note the form of this promise. God does not say, “When you see the rainbow, when you remember my covenant, I will not destroy the earth.” No, Scripture says, the promise is not dependent our memory, which is fickle and frail, but God’s, which is infinite and unchanging. “When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you” (Genesis 9:14–15 ESV, emphasis added). The ground of my safety is not my remembering God, it is God’s remembering me; it is not my taking hold of God’s covenant, but His covenant’s taking hold of me. Glory to God! All the defensive walls of salvation are secured by divine power. Even the smallest towers, which we might imagine have been left to human oversight, are guarded by almighty strength. The very memory of the covenant is not left to our minds, which are forgetful. But our Lord can never forget the saints He has engraved on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). It is with us as it was with Israel in Egypt—the blood was on the top and sides of the door frame, but the Lord did not say, “When you see the blood. I will pass over you.” He told the people, “When I see the blood I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13, emphasis added). My looking to Jesus brings me joy and peace, but it is God’s looking to Jesus that secures my salvation—mine, and that of all His elect, since it is impossible for God to look at Christ, our bleeding Savior, and be angry with us for sins already punished in Him. No, we are not saved by our own remembering of the covenant. Not a single human thread mars this perfect fabric of God. Salvation is not of or by humans, but of and by the Lord alone. We should remember the covenant, and by divine grace we will. But that is not the key to our safety—it is God’s remembering us, not our remembering Him, and therefore the covenant is everlasting. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening. 

As I was reading in an earlier devotional this morning it seems to relate to this one.  God plants the seeds in men and women that grow towards eternal life.  He plants. 

Lebanon’s cedars are symbolic of Christians in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. We are not planted by other people, nor are we self-planted. We are planted by God. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart that He himself had prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven has the great Arborist as its planter. The cedars of Lebanon do not depend on people for their watering. They stand on the high mountains, untouched by human irrigation; our heavenly Father supplies them. So it is with Christians who have learned to live by faith. We are independent of other people, even in things of this earth. -C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening. 

We are often quick to establish our part in doing things in our lives.  Also we are often forgetful to thank Jesus for His part in it.  

Note where God's promise lies in its making.  He remembers His promise.  Nothing is necessary on our part to remind Him. 

All of us, at one time or another, have difficult days.  2020 will go down in history as globally the most widespread difficult years to date.   

Yet God has not stopped being God. 

Jesus has not turned a deaf ear to the troubles of mankind.  Mankind has steadily been turning a deaf ear to Him.

Jesus cried out to Jerusalem that He so desperately wanted to hold her close to Him but their stubbornness would not have it.  Same goes with each person who has lived. 

Jesus has wept over every single person who has ever lived that has turned from God.  Scripture says He was a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief.  His own rejected Him.  The world crucified Him.  God's own creation wanted Him dead. 

But He kept his promise.  He keeps His promises.  He agreed after Adam and Eve sinned to become the sacrificial lamb to take away the guilt of the sin of mankind. 
He probably wept when He saw Adam and Eve do what they were commanded not to.
He would have to die and raise from the dead to save His creation that was in His image. 

He keeps His promises.  He arrived in a way nobody was looking.  Wrapped in burial clothes and placed in a feeding box. 

Only the Heavens and a few people knew where.  The demons shuddered.  It was going down.  The plans written in ages past were happening.  They had to try to stop it.  After all this is when He would be at His weakest right?  But they yet still underestimated the power and plan of God.  Nothing was going to stop Jesus from going to the cross to keep His promise. 

It's easy in our world of lies and misdirection and misconceptions to lose sight of the message from God the Father.  
He made a promise to provide a way to save man...He and the Son and Holy Spirit working flawlessly together kept the promise.  Yet the world is rejecting the truth at every turn.  Satan is sending his minions everywhere to try to blot out the truths of the Bible.  Doing everything he can to disrupt the Church.  

I posted on Facebook yesterday that if you are going into a Church and you can't tell the difference between the world and them, leave.  It means that compromises have overtaken that place and the Spirit of God is not there.  I say this with profound sadness because in our current time of life with this virus, online services are everywhere.  Seeing the way so-called churches are conducting themselves is appalling.  A supposed worship service for Jesus that had a sports song integrated into it...and the applause was thunderous.   People mislead and believing that including a song built around idolatry as acceptable in a worship service to God. 

People who neglect or forget the promises of God will have trouble.  A Church that has allowed compromise is dead even though it claims to be alive.  Read the warnings to the Churches in Revelation.  They have forgotten their first love.  It reads that they have a reputation as being alive.  Yet Jesus tells them He knows the truth.  In Thessalonians there's ample warning of compromises that would influence the Church.  People slowly forgot the promises of God. 

But God has not nor will not. 

Jesus promised many things to those who believe.  He promised He would return again when our Father said it was time.  He keeps His promises.  The rainbow still happens to remind man that God has kept His promise not to destroy the world again by flood.  

Do you live like God keeps His promises to you?  I confess I struggle with remembering all the times He has been faithful when I have not been.  He has never been at fault when I am the one who sins and is in need of His daily forgiveness.  

Are you consumed with you?  Are you seeking compromises to make your life easier?  Or are you seeking to obey Christ in what you do?

God keeps His promises.  He promised we would someday give an account of our lives before Him.  

Think about the choices and decisions you make today.  Worldly causes are all nice when you get a pat on the back by your fellow people.  But if you are not living for to hear Christ say "Well done",  then who are you really living for?  There's times when God is not going to keep a promise.  When it promotes sin He will not keep a promise.  When it promotes idolatry He will not keep it. When it glorifies someone or something else other than Him, He will not bless or keep that promise.  

A worship service is to be for Christ alone and for nothing or for no one else. 

Look at where you are today.  Look at what compromises you have made.  Ask the Spirit to show you.  Ask for forgiveness and help to get to where you are supposed to be in Christ. 

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