“But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. (2 Peter 3:10-12a NLT)
In yesterday’s post we looked at an example of how God always keeps His promises. He promised to send His Messiah, and He certainly did, in the person of Jesus, His one-of-a-kind Son, but He also promised that Jesus would one day return to this earth. The verses above speak in part to what will happen when He returns.
The question: “Are You a Promise Keeper?’ is a critical consideration in light of what lies ahead. How so? Think about it! If we profess the holy name of Jesus and are seeking to be His follower, our lives should be ordered in such a way that they reflect not only our understanding of what’s coming but are compelling us to share that news with anyone who will listen.
Remember the parable of the talents in Matthew 25? Why was the master so hard on the servant to whom he gave the one talent? Not because he tried and failed, but because he did nothing! My sense is there are far more “one talent” people in the seats of our churches than we dare believe. What does that mean?
It means there are many who profess faith in Jesus in order to miss hell, then they go about building their kingdom as though God’s Kingdom had no authority over them. They tuck their “talent,” their life, away in their safe deposit box labeled “eternal security,” then go about their life as though they fulfilled their commitment to God by saying a prayer and warming a seat in a church.
Security is for those who hide their lives in God’s heart, who keep their promises, not only to God, but to their spouse, their kids, their loved ones, neighbors, employers/employees, and everyone else in their spheres of influence.
My heart breaks when I think about that “one talent” person. Why? Because that was me for much of my life. I made promises I didn’t keep, to God and others, not because I didn’t want to, but because I was just too afraid to try. What if I fail? What if someone gets hurt in the process? How embarrassing if someone finds out what a loser I am?
Maybe that’s you today. Maybe as you look at your life you see your failures, your shortcomings, your broken promises; you see clearly where you’ve been wrong. But you may also see the glaring moments when you weren’t the promise-breaker; you see that one(s) who didn’t keep their promises to you. It’s crippled you because you don’t want to risk hurting someone like you’ve been hurt. I get it, I really do.
So, what can you do to turn things around? To start becoming a God-honoring promise keeper rather than perpetuating the same failure that has taken its toll on you? There are two critical components on your road to healing, wholeness, and restoration. First, confess your need to the Lord. Open your heart, mind, soul, and strength to the only One who can forgive, cleanse, then fill you with Himself. Then find someone who will walk with you on your journey. Why is that so critically important?
Let’s pick this up in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 