He Didn’t Have To Promise

What do we have that God didn’t give us?

Our bodies are the work of his hands. Our hearts beat with his gift of life. Our lungs fill with his air. Our minds are aware with his gift of consciousness. Our strength and abilities come from him. Even the abilities we work hard to develop ourselves come from him, because what are we developing except his gifts, using the strength and life he gave us?

Look around with the eyes he gave you: you’ll see his trees, his sky, and the mountains he made. The animals and the grass they walk on and the plants they eat were designed and crafted by him. Or maybe you’re inside: look at the building you’re in, or think of the vehicle that got you there—what are they except re-arrangements of God’s many varied gifts? Steel mined from his mountains. Bricks hardened from his earth. Copper wires and channeled electricity, PVC pipes and running water, the fabric on the sofa, the glass shelf in the refrigerator—yes, we’ve mastered many techniques for processing the raw materials of earth into all kinds of useful combinations, but all of the materials we have to work with are only what God already made. You could put a label on every item in the shop: “This product is made from 100% recycled gifts of God.” It would always be true, every time.

That’s why Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” We need to remember that everything we have, we owe to our Creator. There’s no point pretending otherwise. He doesn’t depend on us. We depend on him. He doesn’t owe us more gifts. We owe literally everything to him.

And this being so, isn’t it amazing that God makes promises to us?

It makes sense for us to promise ourselves to him, because everything we have is from him and our very lives depend on his generosity. Promising ourselves to him is exactly what we ought to be doing. But over and over again, all through the Bible, all through history, what we see is that God constantly makes promises to people. Some of his promises are for all humans, everywhere, like his promise to continue providing the seasons and sunlight and rain that we need to survive and his promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 8-9). All of humanity receives the benefit of these promises, even those who reject God and misuse his gifts (Matthew 5:45). But most of God’s promises, and definitely the best of God’s promises, are for those who come to him in repentance and faith, acknowledging our dependence on him, our sin against him, and our need for his forgiveness. To them, he promises the forgiveness we need (Ephesians 1:7), but he doesn’t stop there—he also promises a place in his own family (1 John 3:1)! And he doesn’t stop there, either…

He promises: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

He promises: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).

He promises that the day will come when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

There are so many promises like these in scripture, and he didn’t have to make any of them. All the obligation is on our side, not his. But he promises anyway. And the promises themselves are a part of the gift: he doesn’t make us guess if he will love his children the same way tomorrow as he did yesterday. We don’t have to wonder what he’s thinking, or what he’s working towards. If we are putting our trust in him, we have his promises.

He didn’t have to promise. But aren’t you glad he did?

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I only given a few examples of God’s promises. What promises have been especially encouraging to you? Put them in the comments so we can be encouraged as well.