The God of Promise and the Life of Faith (Amy Dresser)
“Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.” (Jeremiah 33:9)
A habitation… that is what God would make of you.
A dwelling place… for the display of His splendor.
This is your destination: wholeness.
“You will be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
But far from the paths of striving and self-effort and life-draining “perfectionism” lies a fountain of truth that imparts perfection to you through the revelation of your union with the Perfect One.
“It is finished!” is the cry of that fountain…
The Spirit of God shouting the mystery of the cross into the hearts of those who would abide here… who would make it their home.
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” (Zechariah 4:6-7)
Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, who brought the first colony of Jews from Babylon back to their homeland.
Chosen to re-build the temple.
Faced plenty of obstacles.
Encouraged by this word:
“NOT BY MIGHT. NOR BY POWER.”
(Though there was plenty of work to be done.)
“BUT BY MY SPIRIT!” declares the Lord.
What is your mountain? If you can hear the Lord say, “before Me, it is nothing,” then your shout will rise up to bless the work that He has already done: the work that the cross has already won.
And Grace will fall upon you and complete what is lacking in your faith, and finish the work that He has begun.
It all begins with a promise. A seed. A word from the Lord that is planted in your heart and believed.
Hold it without wavering, and watch it grow. And never let go.
“That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his [Abraham’s] offspring—… to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed…, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith, giving glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” Romans 4.
What has God promised you? Or have you yet discovered His promise?
Dear Christian, what HAVE you signed up for?
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:28-31)
What “good” does God work for those who love Him? The “Good” of becoming like His Son.
And what is His promise? That HE predestined you. HE called you. HE justified you. And HE glorified you. Past Tense! Congratulations, all that you could ever hope to attain and accomplish – it has now been done for you.
What is there left for YOU to do? BELIEVE IT!
WHAT! Maybe you’ve read this before and have become dull to the wonder of it. But I remember the moment my heart really heard it. And the weight of the glory of it utterly and completely cut off all of my then-current life ambitions. Glorious as they had seemed before that moment--to travel the earth as a missionary and serve the Lord through my sacrifices – all those plans now paled in comparison to this overwhelmingly IMPOSSIBLE and GLORIOUS promise. I realized in that moment the truth of Jesus’ words: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) It hit me so hard: I can’t be like Jesus – I CANNOT DO THAT! But far from a sigh of impossibility and despair came a lightness and glee that said, BUT HE SAID HE WOULD! Pride was cut off in a big way, in that moment, and Hope rose up in its place. A confidence in God’s GOODNESS that surpasses every other “good” this world has to offer!
Amy Dresser