God's Promises

This summer I had the pleasure of attending two different CIY conferences: one for high school students and one for middle school students. We studied the life of Joseph at both of these events. Studying his life was one of the greatest joys based on where I am in my life. Joseph suffered through a lot of tough circumstances, but he remained faithful to God and God remained faithful to him.

At the Move conference (HS) our students got to take part in a pretty cool activity. It was the Color Experience. Basically, they took a bunch of the colored powder that is used in the Color Run and showered it on themselves and on each other. It was a really cool moment. A month or so before, I had started focusing my life on God's promises. And there I found myself watching our students do a physical activity that symbolized how we are covered in God's promises. I loved this moment, I loved to see our kids physically covered in what stood for God's promises.

There are several verses that have been huge for me the last couple of months, that comfort me and remind me that God has so many promises for us and He is ever faithful.

The verses that have been written in my living room for awhile now are Romans 4:20-21. God promised Abraham offspring even though he and Sarah were old and she was not supposed to have children.

"No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." Even when God's promise for Abraham's life was physically impossible- he believed. He never wavered. Earlier in chapter 4 it says he did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body. How in the world do you have that kind of faith? Everything tells you it can't happen but Abraham still believed it would. It also says in verse 23 that these words weren't written only for Abraham's sake- but for OUR sake so that when we believe we will be credited righteousness as well. God's power is far beyond the physicality of our world.

The verses I came upon today are now written on my chalkboard.
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36

I've been involved in a James study and have looked deeply into the words that say we should count it pure joy and persevere in our trials. I think this is right on- when we persevere God rewards that. Whether it is through maturity like in James or receiving his promises (promises for eternal life, for a plan and purpose and so many more things) like in Hebrew. God keeps giving me these verses to remind me to persevere through everything. There's a great reward in all of this. I will be more complete in maturity, I will receive His promises, and the greatest reward I've been feeling so far is simply that I'm hearing His voice clearer and louder than before.

God's promises for us are great and true and perfect! Joseph was covered in promises from God and even though he was sold and thrown in a pit by his brothers, thrown in jail for not pursuing a married woman, and waited so long for redemption within his family that betrayed him, he remained faithful to God, but the biggest and best part is that God remained faithful to him, and remains faithful to me and you today.

"God was silent, but he was up to something"