December 5 – Great Things He Does

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,” 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NASB)

The Apostle Paul was thinking about the results of his ministry in the city of Corinth. Many people had been brought into the family of God while Paul was preaching and teaching in that city. As he writes this letter he wanted to be sure to acknowledge that it was God who deserves the credit for the results of his work. Too often we are tempted to consider our Christian work is  the result of our own efforts. We all need to consider and be careful to give our Lord credit for His work in our lives. God is involved in anything of value in our lives. We need to recognize that without God's working in and through us nothing of eternal worth is accomplished. Let's remember the promise that our ability, our sufficiency, and our adequacy come from God. He wants to use us to do His work, to do something worthwhile in life. Let's allow Him to use us today. The words to the hymn, “To God Be The Glory” helps us to sing out the truth of God’s competence and ability to provide our adequacy in this life. “Great things He has done.”

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May 9 – Not Slow, But Patient

“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. … Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”  - 2 Peter 3:13, 15 (NIV)

In this letter by the Apostle Peter, we read of a day to come when God will be done with this earth. Peter tells us of God’s promise regarding the end of the world as we know it now.  He encourages us, those who have believed, to maintain holy and godly lives. Doing so will speed the coming of that day.  What will it be like?  We encourage you to read the context in 2 Peter 3 as the promises here in our verses today and in the larger passage are very important to remember for us who believe.  When the world is in chaos or near chaos, we are taught to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him (2 Peter 3:14 NIV).  But we are to also remember that the reason these days have not yet come is because God is patience for more to believe in the Gospel and become children of God. Peter also confirms the Apostle Paul’s words to be wisdom and given to him by God. Although Peter and Paul began their relationship over a conflict, (Galatians 2:11-12) we see here that they are of one mind and on the same page. 

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January 1 – The Good Work of God In Us

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”  Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

[As we begin together the fourth year of 90 Seconds with God's Promises, we continue to pray that you will be blessed by what is shared here.]

Have you opened and hung up your new calendar for this year?  If not, we're sure you will soon and we want to wish not just a Happy, but a Blessed New Year.  Our selected verse and promise is a good one for the beginning of a new year as we look back on our life's past activities.  We know that the Apostle Paul was not thinking of New Years Day when he wrote these words of promise for the believers in the city of Philippi.  We believe that by the Holy Spirit Paul wrote them for us as well.  This promise reminds us how much God is involved in our lives.  It is God who initiated the good work in our lives if we have believed in Him and have chosen to walk in His Way.  God not only initiated the good work but He continues it each day as we give Him the chance through faith and our obedience to what He teaches us and calls us to.  It is God who will bring this work in our lives to completion according to His will when He wraps all things up for His own.  Let's live in the promise that God initiated, continues, and completes His work in us.  Trust Him today and every day. 

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December 6 – Godly Competence

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,” 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NASB)

The Apostle Paul was thinking of the results of his ministry in the city of Corinth. Many people had been brought into the family of God while Paul was preaching and teaching in that city. As he writes this letter he wanted to be sure to acknowledge that it was God who deserves the credit for the results of his work. We all need to consider and be careful to give our Lord credit for His work in our lives too.  God is involved in anything of value in our lives. We need to recognize that without God's working in and through us nothing of eternal value is accomplished. Let's remember the promise that our competence, our sufficiency, and our adequacy comes from God and that He wants to use us to do His work, to do something worthwhile in life. Let's allow Him to use us today.

December 3 – Shifting the Burden

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

As we are told by the Apostle Paul in Philippians “be anxious for nothing,” here Peter tells us what to do with our anxiety – get rid of it! Cast it ALL on Him! This is a good practice to follow and we have a good reason we can trust it – He cares for us. How wonderful it is to know that we have a heavenly Father who cares about us. Yes, He knows that we have special concerns and that we sometimes become anxious about things, wondering how things are going to turn out. We stumble and fall because of our worry but He is always there to help us up. Our Lord tells us here to turn to him and turn those cares over to Him. Transfer the anxious thoughts and worries from your ledger to His ledger. Then observe how He cares for you and me. He really does, it's a promise.

March 18 - Seal of Ownership

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIV)

Our God in heaven is very much involved in our lives here on earth. Today’s verses teach and remind us of this truth. These words were written by the Apostle Paul who God used to start many churches during the first century after Christ’s ministry on earth. Paul was a great preacher and teacher whose ministry God blessed in many places for many years. But Paul tells us the he didn’t do any of this by himself. He recognized that God was involved and directing his life and work. This is true for us too. God is involved in our lives too. We don’t live by ourselves. If our faith stands firm in Christ it is because God establishes us to stand firm. And more than that, he seals us with His Spirit as a promise to keep us established in our faith. 

March 8 – More Than Imagined

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

These words, written by the Apostle Paul come at the end of a prayer that he had been praying for his friends in the church at Ephesus. After telling them what he had been praying for he reminded them that God was able to do far beyond what he had been asking for. This is a wonderful way to end a prayer, isn’t it? It is what God wants us to remember when we pray to Him. No matter how big a request we make to God, let’s always remember that He can do more than we ask – or, as our verse says, more than we could even imagine. And this is because God’s great power is at work in our lives in order to bring glory to Himself among all believers in Christ Jesus for all time. Believe it today and live according to it today.

January 20

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” Philippians 2:9 (NIV)

We do have a wonderful God and a wonderful Savior. Our verse today reminds us of how important the name of Jesus is. These verses were written by the Apostle Paul to teach us what God the Father did after Jesus willingly went to the cross and died for us. It was God the Father who chose the name Jesus which means Savior and our verse reminds us that this name is above every name. Yes, my friend, we come to God our heavenly Father in the name of Jesus and God recognizes us as His children. Our great creator, the Almighty God, wants us to call on Him in the name of Jesus in humility. Let us rejoice in His name today and bow before Him.

June 24

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4a (NIV)

This is how the apostle Paul began his letter to the Christians at Corinth. He reminds them that God is the true source of comfort. If He is the God of all comfort that means all true and lasting comfort comes from Him. Paul experienced the comfort that God gives. He lived a life which was subject to much suffering, much opposition and many troubles. But he had found much comfort in his God. We have the same God. He is for us, also the God of all comfort. When we need it we turn to Him and He will comfort us and help us.

April 10

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi thanking them for gifts which they had sent to him in prison. These gifts had helped meet some of his need there in Rome. He thanks his friends for helping, but he realized that it was God who was behind it all. And Paul knew that as God had met his needs, He would meet the needs of his friends. As he wrote, he went beyond thinking only of material needs. He said that God would meet ALL their needs. And that’s the promise for us, too. It is not wrong to expect God to meet our material needs, but remember He will meet ALL our needs, material, emotional and spiritual.

March 31

“…sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:10 (NIV)

There is a big difference between the human way of thinking and God’s way. We see the contrast in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. This contrast is what makes it worthwhile to live for God. While most of us may not suffer as much persecution as Paul did, or have to get along with as little as he did, we can thank God for taking care of us. And we can appreciate how much we really have as His children. Although we may not have much of this world’s goods, yet we do have the blessing of God in this life and the prospect of being taken care of through eternity. So we can think of ourselves as Paul did in this verse – “having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”