We are blessed because we believe in God’s promises. These promises are contained in one book, which we call the Bible. Will God indeed make good on his promises and cause these to come to pass, just as he said? Convinced of God’s faithfulness, the apostle Paul said, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20). We can always rely on God to fulfill all his promises, because there is no deceit in him but only truth. Needless to say, all these promises glorify him when they come to pass.
But how do we respond to these promises? We need to respond with “Amen” which means “so be it.” Whenever we hear of God’s promises, we have to agree by saying “Amen.” The “Amen” has to be spoken aloud with our lips—we cannot just say it quietly in our minds. One thing that the devil does not want to see is for believers to be blessed and then praise the Lord in the process. The easiest way for him to spoil God’s promises is to cause us to doubt and not agree or say “Amen” to these promises. As far as God’s promises are concerned, these will all be fulfilled if we believe and trust in him. In encouraging the Israelites, Joshua testified, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Joshua 23:14). Even to these days, we could see that God has been faithful to us. He has been fulfilling his promises, just as in the days of Joshua.
Since God is faithful in fulfilling all of his promises, we ought to respond with the same faithfulness. We need to commit our lives to him. Some are hesitant to make this commitment, but if indeed we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, might and mind, then nothing should hinder us from giving our all in all to God. The reason why we can commit everything to God is because we believe in all of his promises. In his epistle, the apostle Paul said to Timothy, “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Tim. 1:12). In spite of all the challenges and sufferings we go through in life, we can count on the faithfulness of God. He will not disregard what we have entrusted or committed to him. If we entrust our life to him, he will ensure that he will take care of us.
The reason why some are hesitant to make this commitment to the Lord is because they feel that it is hard to follow what He has commanded us to do. However, the apostle John said, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). It is not easy to obey all of God’s commands, but we should endeavour to do so. Certainly, it is only by God’s grace that we can obey his commands and measure up to his standards. Obeying God’s commands is not burdensome, in that there is a reward that comes with our obedience. The promised rewards should be enough to motivate us to excel in obedience. If we commit to read and meditate the Bible everyday in the same way that we are committed to eat our daily bread, we will prosper. This will happen because our daily reading and meditation will move us to obey God’s commands. God revealed the key to success and prosperity to Joshua when he said, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).
Friends, everything written in the Bible is “yes” in Christ. The apostle Paul firmly stated this truth, saying, “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No,’ but in him it has always been ‘Yes.’” (2 Cor. 1:18-19). As far as the Scripture is concerned, there is no room for doubt or skepticism on God’s promises. We only have to believe for us to be blessed. Since the fulfillment of God’s promise is for the glory of his name, then it will happen just as God promised. To every promise of God, we should respond with a loud “Amen.” Let us believe in his promises and receive them for ourselves. God, who is faithful, will surely make them happen just as he has said. Remember this: no matter how many promises God has made, they are all “yes” in Christ. Therefore, we should resoundingly respond to these promises with our “Amen.” Hallelujah!
