December 13 – Seek to Find

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9  (NASB)

The books of First and Second Chronicles have much of the same historic accounts found in the books of the Kings. Today’s verse is an account of King David’s charge to his son Solomon as the throne of Israel is assumed by Solomon. David’s spiritual charge to Solomon resembles the Lord’s exhortation to Joshua (Joshua 1:6–9). Solomon asked God for and received the very “discretion and understanding” his father, David, desired for him. We have wonderful promises in these verses and perhaps one of the most potent ones is the promise that God will be found by those who seek Him.  Many times when non-believing people mock or ridicule God and our belief in His existence it is because they have never truly sought God. We believe the dual positive/negative promises here are absolute. Those who seek to find God will find him and that finding is the work of God. Those who forsake the search for God will find they remain as rejected as they ever have. Those who seek, find. Those who ask, receive. Those who knock, the door is opened. That is all it takes and it is God’s doing that saves us.

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June 16 – Guiding the Blind

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them.  I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” -  Isaiah 42:16 (ESV)

There are times when things get so dark we lose our way and we are tempted to think that God is not aware of what we are going through. There are times when we do not see the path that He has set before us to walk in and we’re essentially blinded by our lack of understanding. There are times when our way in life seems to be too rough for us to sustain our walk. God gives us promises for times like that. He promises not to forsake His own. That means He will always be there. And what will He do He will guide us, turning darkness into light. He will help us make decisions we have never made before. And what about those times of difficulty because the path for our life is so rough? He will smooth them out. God’s sovereignty will be evident to all of us as He guides the blind over previously uncharted courses. Even the spiritually blind can be made to see the way because of what God does for them in opening their eyes to see.

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March 2 – All Things Engaged Forever

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ” – Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

The author of Hebrews drew this promise from God’s words in Deuteronomy 31:6 or Joshua 1:5. Charles Spurgeon, preached to thousands in England in the 19th Century. He wrote something similar to this*. “Have courage to believe, for God has said, 'I will never leave you, nor forsake you.' In this promise, God gives to his faith believers everything. It is the LORD who is I AM promising us. Then no attribute of God can cease to be engaged for us. Is He mighty? He will show himself strong on the behalf of them that trust him. Is He love? Then with lovingkindness God will have mercy upon us. Whatever attributes may compose the character of God, every one of them to its fullest extent will be engaged on our side. We can trust that there is nothing we can want, there is nothing we can ask for, there is nothing we can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven which is not included in this promise—'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'”

*C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings, (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896).

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January 18 – He Will Not…

“The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:8 (NASB)

So far, how is this year proving to be a new year for you? We look into each the new year not as one more day, week, or month on the calendar but as the starting point in a renewed transition. So it was Israel after more than 40 years wandering about in the Sinai wilderness, it was time for Moses to transition leadership to Joshua. We might still claim this new year with a verse that brings to us a wonderful promise. God promises over and over in His word that He will not fail us, not forsake us, not leave us. We have no reasons to fear or be dismayed. These words are spoken by Moses to Joshua in the presence of the people of Israel about to enter their Promised Land. These words we can take to heart and trust them. We believe that our Lord will be with us each day as we follow Him. He will not leave us or forget us. Let's be thankful to God for this assurance and for the promises we can trust. As a new year begins, we do not have to be discouraged – even when we are tempted to.  

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July 20 –His Name’s Sake

“For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself” -  1 Samuel 12:22 (ESV)

What is in a name? Especially the name of God? Foremost it is the guarantee of an unbreakable promise. When God makes promises, those who have believed can trust in their fulfillment. Samuel was the last prophet/judge of God’s chosen people. The people demanded to have a king and God sent Samuel to anoint Saul to be Israel’s first king. The people rejected God as their true King. As King Saul is crowned, the people are warned to not forget their God and to serve, obey and not rebel against His commandments. God’s promise that He will not forsake His people is renewed. He established the promise on His name, “for His great name’s sake.” God’s promises to us are also given to us in His name. That means the promises are unbreakable and even when we disobey, God keeps His promises. God promised to make Israel a people for Himself based on His name. His promises hold true no matter how far the people stray. We have the same promise. All faith believers are given promises of God for salvation, which include justification, sanctification, glorification.  God will be with us forever.

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March 1 – Trust the Immutable God

“The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”  Psalm 138:8 (NASB)

The importance of the promises, as in our verse today, is better understood when we consider source and context.  This is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise by David. We have considered this verse previously and repetition of God’s promises is always beneficial. David declares our LORD God is exalted over all His creation. He favors the humble in spirit but the arrogant, who David calls haughty, are kept far from Him. Additionally, God watches over our lives and protects us from the hatred of our enemies. The conclusion of Psalm 138 has critical importance for us because we do not always turn to God and trust these promises. Our fears and worries distract us and we are prone to believe God gives up on us. He doesn't because His promise is that He will accomplish and fulfill all that is His purpose for us. God’s love is steady and holds fast in all circumstances. We can always trust this promise even though we might strongly feel the need to call on God to continue His work in our lives. When we think we’ve lost, God says it is not finished. God’s work continues in our lives. 

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January 11 – Be: Strong. Courageous. Fearless.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

We are now eleven days into our new year. Have you some anxiety built up over the last year? We can be certain, as we find in today’s promise verse, that we do not need to fear or tremble or be in dread of what was or what lingers. Listen to the command Moses gave to the people of Israel and to Joshua his successor as leader of the nation. Be Strong. Be Courageous. Do Not Fear. We have no reason to truly live with fear or dread from possible circumstances through this year. We have the same promise that God gave to His people through Moses. We are His people too if we have believed and received His Truth, for we have been given the right to be called children of God. That’s a praiseworthy promise. And we tack on to that the promise that God will go with us throughout this year and that He will not (never) leave us or forsake us. What happened last year may have lasting circumstances in our lives but God tells us to be strong and courageous and unafraid all because He is with us and will never forsake us.   

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June 13 – A Divine Confidence

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”  -Psalm 138:8  (ESV)

When we believe the promises that God has given us and see their fulfillment, it is good for us to take the time to express our confidence in the promises.  Earlier in this Psalm the author, David claims that when he called, God answered his call and gave him the needed strength.  Our promise here is that our LORD God will do the same for us fulfilling His purpose for us.  His purpose, not necessarily our purpose unless we are in alignment with God’s will.  We believe David was in alignment and desired God’s purpose in his life.  Another translation says, “The LORD will accomplish what concerns me.”  And yet another renders the words “The LORD will vindicate me.”  Whatever God’s purpose for each of us is, our God will fulfill it, He will accomplish all that concerns us, and if we need vindication, He will do that as well.  All in all we depend on God fulfilling His promises and He never forsakes that because his love is steadfast, His mercy is forever. God will not walk off the job of fulfilling His word to us leaving it unfinished. We have divine confidence because He has promised.

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September 23 – For His Name's Sake

“For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.”  1 Samuel 12:22 (ESV)

This is a word of encouragement spoken by the prophet Samuel himself to God’s people, the people of Israel.  They were God’s chosen people in the Old Testament days. God thought of them as His own because it had been His idea and He was pleased to think of them that way. God has a people today He calls His own.  They are those who have accepted His Son, Jesus Christ as their Savior. The words of Samuel apply to us today and God has promised to always be with us.  He promises to never forsake, abandon, or reject His people. When we make mistakes and we ask His forgiveness He forgives. He has promised to care for us and He will keep His word on account of His great name.  God cannot go against His own promises and for the sake of who He is and for the sake of His Name, the promises will be kept.  We will never be forsaken.

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June 19 – Purposes Fulfilled

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Psalm 138:8 (ESV)

Many promises given to us by God in the Bible are fulfilled and realized when we exercise our faith.  David, the author of this Psalm knew that God had a  purpose to carry out in his life. The same is true for each of us who believe. God has a plan for each of us and it is based on His steadfast love for us which springs from his lovingkindness.  We can all trust God as David did knowing that He loves us and always will love us. As we trust in His love which will always be and will never end; and as we allow Him to do what He wants to do in our lives and for His glory, He will continue to accomplish His plan for each of us.  God is concerned with everything and every detail of our lives and He is working all of it together as long as we allow Him to by following Him in faith. We can trust that God will never forsake the work of His hands in our lives. 

June 16

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 (NIV)

There are times when things get dark and we are tempted to think that God is not aware of what we are going through. There are times when we do not see the path that we should walk in and are blinded by our lack of understanding and we cry out for help from the Lord. God gives us a promise for times like that. He promises not to forsake His own. That means He will always be there. And what will He do He will guide us, turning darkness into light. He will help us make decisions we have never made before. And what about those times of difficulty? He will smooth them out.