Promises vs. Intentions

What promises to do you consider God has made to you personally? The undeserving Jacob was a recipient of a personal promise so bountiful he could not comprehend the full extent of what it included. In response Jacob offered a declaration that the Lord would be his God all the days of his life. He also promised to give God a tenth of all he acquired.

 

Which promises does God expects you to honor? The answer might be all of them because it reflects your person-hood and character. Some individuals make promises in the heat of a crisis and recant them when the heat of the moment dissipates. Have you made promises just to appease God or others with no intention of keeping them?

God is faithful to keep his promises, and he will never be slow in doing what he promises to do. God loves you and wants you to have trust and confidence in him and his word. When you make a promise to God, he will provide what is needed for you to remain true to your promise. Isn’t that good news! 

Hope for Undeserving People

Explaining why God promises new beginnings to undeserving people is grounded completely in the fact that God loves us, otherwise Jacob would have been unlikely to receive God’s help. Jacob lied, stole, cheated and was totally self-absorbed. Yet God appeared to him in a dream when he was desperate enough to hear a voice other than his own.

          Listen to what God communicated to Jacob: “I will give you and your descendants the land where you are sleeping. The people of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I’ll be with you and will watch over you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised,” meaning within Jacob’s lifetime.   

          God reminds us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts; my ways are not your ways.” God assures each of us that he can use a person who has wasted their life, and He nevertheless stands ready to give us a new beginning. What matters is what you’re willing to do now. God is ready to help you turn your life around and make a new start that honors Him.