Promises of God

It is at times tempting to think God has broken his promises. Maybe we doubt he has provided for us, ect...

I suppose at times it is easy to feel like God has not done what he says he would. Often it is a matter of perspective.

Really we often are in a great confusion. We have confused needs and wants.

We do not have the fancy new gadget and we will surely die. We have not had this or that.

Maybe our lack has been very severe. You see God is always faithful.

Jesus was a man of sorrow well acquainted with grief. He entered into a manager and live a life which was very ascetic.

Many of his followers did the say. And yet his followers heard his promises and did not doubt them as if beatings, shipwreck, nakedness, famine and sword did not invalidate God's promises.

Why? You see they looked at the situation spiritually. God had provided them an infinite reward and they faced temporal sufferings.

It was a matter of perspective. Life in the present was very “bear” and eternity very “bull” to use financial terms.

Glory Veiled

Isaiah 53:2-3 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (NIV)

Jesus came into the world and his glory was veiled. You see God has had a habit of choosing by things other than sight.

Jacob was chosen illogically over Esau by human standards. David was the least apparent choice of his many brothers.

You see God often chooses the least to do his tasks to shame the world. It is not surprising then that when Jesus was sent into the world his glory was veiled.

You see Jesus had no beauty or majesty to draw attention. His attention required faith in his teaching.

You see God always seeks men actively, but he allows them to see what they wish to see. You see we need to look by faith to see God.

Many people have looked for or asked for a definitive proof. Always God asks for faith. He gives us far enough reason to believe but never shows us anything.

You see man at the fall had all he needed to have faith in God. But he wanted a definitive view of everything rather than to have faith.

Mankind's first sin was to not trust the promises and intent to God. By faith we are united to Jesus where man first fell by trusting the promise and intent of God. We live by faith day by day and never get past faith.

God's Promise of Provision

I've seen a number of people talk about leaving Christianity after God failed to provide for them. I don't know the specific contexts of these people but I have a few thoughts on the provision of God.

God's promise of provision does not include may things that western culture mistakes as necessities. A shiny new phone with high a large data plan and high speed Internet connection is not covered in this provision.

A lot of Christians go through hard times and feel that God has not been true to his word. They have given up many "necessities" and feel that God has in some way "wronged" them.

The reality is a confusion of needs and wants. Western world moves many wants into needs categories.

I see nothing wrong with wanting material things within reason. But we must always see that these wants are not included as part of God's promise of provision.

An example from the bible: Did God provide for his 12 disciples when he sent them out with nothing on them and no money when they went out to preach the word of God. Yes, he did.

Would western culture see these itinerant preachers as being provided for by God? Probably not. The bible is always right even when it seems wrong.