Did you know that God is not a cosmic equivalent to a fairy godmother?
I know that …
yet I often live and speak as though I was completely unaware of that reality.
I live and think that my version of good is the same as God’s version. I sometimes think that I deserve something (though, in the moment I wouldn’t necessarily confess that was my thinking) and that because I need it God will provide it.
That sort of thinking creates a genie-like description of God,
but God is not a genie.
What God promises is not heath, wealth, perfect children and that we will always be loved by our friends, neighbours, co-workers or families.
God promises:
- that we will be saved (Romans 10:9) … if we confess that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead
- that we will not be tempted beyond what God has given us the ability to resist (1 Corinthians 10:13) … NO excuses
- that we can have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives … if we repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38) … we have to repent!
- that he will not leave us alone (Deuteronomy 31:6)
As I was typing those four promises, I realized that three of them are … conditional. They are promises that are predicated by our actions.
- We are saved if we confess that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead.
- we will not be tempted beyond what God has given us the ability to resist
- we can have the Holy Spirit in our lives if we repent and be baptized
We first have to act in faith, then God will fulfill his part of the bargain.
The only promise that does not come with a condition is that God will not leave us alone.
In the human experience one of the most common fears is loneliness. Perhaps the greatest gift, the greatest promise that any can human being can receive is a promise to never leave us.
No fairy godmother, no genie in a bottle and all the magic that goes with them, no amount of money or security or even health can compare with knowing that there is one who will always be with us.
itsawonderfilledlife 