The Essence of His Promises

The Essence of His Promises
Brad Reiches
Aug 30 2007 12:27AM

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Thursday, August 30, 2007

GodThoughtsWired!

"The Essence of His Promises"

"Let it be boldly stated that there are some things which

only God can do, and for us to attempt to do them is to waste our efforts;

and there are other things which only man can do,

and for us to ask God to do them is to waste our prayers.

-A.W. Tozer, Paths to Power

We cannot do what only God can do and God WILL NOT do what is man's responsibility to do.  This is the essence of the majority of God's promises.  They are conditional.  There is God's part...and our part.  For example, God forgives our sins when we confess our sins and repent of them (see 1 John 1:6-9).  Forgiveness is always available to everyone, but only those who fulfill the conditions are forgiven.  Our part is to "confess and repent," God's part is to forgive...and so on.

The following are some of my favorite "conditional promises."  Can you identify the "our part?"  Do you see the "God's part?"

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will fulfill the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

"Commit your works to the Lord and He will establish your plans" (Proverbs 16:3).

"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

What are some of your favorite "conditional promises?"  Really, I'd love to hear from you.

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