This devotional was written by Chloee Jean.
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:20
The word ‘promise’ is a pretty heavy word. I would probably lose count trying to figure out how many times that word came out of my mouth and the mouths of others. Such as ‘I promise I’ll do the dishes’ or ‘I promise I’ll fill the car with gas tomorrow’. Even deeper promises like someone promising that ‘it’s not you, it’s them’ or ‘I will never leave you, I promise’. More times than we may ever want to admit, often these promises are never held up to see the light of day. Someone fails you or you fail someone. There is almost always one person who can’t hold up their end of the promise and, when they fail to do so, everything crashes and both parties are left hurt, broken, sad, and further away from trusting another promise.
I don’t know if anyone’s told you this yet today, so I will: you’re human and you’re going to fail not only others but also yourself. It’s the sinful nature in us. Something, or someone, will always come up and always seem better than the last and we are “forced” to decide whether or not we’re going to stay faithful to whatever promise we made. In reality, though, if we were really committed, why would we even consider the second option or person that pops up out of nowhere? When push comes to shove, our sin, our selfishness creeps in and causes us to lose our footing – and that’s exactly where the enemy wants us. “But the store had a 50% off sale” or “Our relationship was failing anyways” or “They never reached out to me, so why should I keep trying?”. We fail because of the sin that lives inside us. Redemption isn’t a one time deal. Redemption is a daily, every second need of ours and if we don’t recognize it now, when will we ever? Grace isn’t something that we just so happen got to experience when we were saved, it’s a daily need of ours to not only step into God’s grace but to also extend it to others. Our sin causes us to stumble in breaking our promises to ourselves and to others.
Here’s the good news though:
God never fails to hold up His end of the promise He made to you, even if you do.
How amazing is that? God is not only perfect, but He is also patient with us when sin gets the best of us. He stays on His end of the promise, patiently waiting for us to get our act together and hold up our end. Every promise is “yes” in Christ. Nowhere in the bible does it say “fail to uphold your end of the deal and I will take away this promise from you”. It doesn’t! All it tells us is that every promise is “yes” in Christ.
“Your end of the deal” you may be thinking. It is funny to think that when God makes us a promise, we have to also do something to keep up that end of the deal. But we do! If God promises to use you in ministry, you need to not only be willing to be used in ministry but also be in ministry. If God promises you a job, you need to work for that job. You see, God’s promises don’t come with a free pass – we actually need to work for them. He knows you’re worth making the promise to, but will we actually maintain that promise and increase with it? Just like the parable of the gold coins (Luke 19:11-27), God doesn’t want to give us a good thing if we’re only going to bury it. He actually wants us to use it, double it in size, and actually see the goodness and fruitfulness of His promise to us.
So, while you wait for the fulfillment of His promise, seek growth and find rest there. Find ways to grow for your promise, not just in your promise. Stop worrying about what to do, simply rest and grow in His promises. It’s in the growing and resting that we get to not only receive the promise in His timing, but to also have the strength and knowledge to handle the promise and keep up our end of the deal.
be. resting and growing in His promises
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Chloee Jean is a youth leader, a Podcaster, a Digital Creator, Worship Leader, Social Media Manager, and a firm believer in Christ. She was born and raised in a Christian home and spent her days as a little girl singing songs, playing around on the piano, and drawing with her crayons. After years of hardships and trials, Chloee found escape in her music and writing her own lyrics. She pursued a Worship Leader certificate at Bethel Music’s Worship School. When she completed her course, she led worship with her sister, Aliseea, at a small youth group they were both currently serving in. After they both stepped down from that role and during 2020’s pandemic, Chloee started her own podcast called W.O.W and small business, Simply by Chloee Jean. She now finds joy in speaking God’s Word, singing about it occasionally with her sister, and creating digital designs to point others back to God and His Word. When Chloee isn’t designing or podcasting, she spends quality time with her family by having game nights, a movie marathon, or even jamming out to some worship songs. To find her on social media, check out her Instagram page!