Napoleon said, “To be successful, promise everything and deliver nothing.” What is the value of a promise? What does a promise say about the person who makes it? We can be assured and thankful our God is successful by promising everything AND delivering on His promises.
In 1,000 BC, God made promises to King David. He promised a place of peace and presence with His people for eternity. He promised his heir would sit on the throne over His people in love and grace, forever. God made far-reaching and purposeful promises, action-oriented and complete. Did God make good on His promises? YES! Jesus was born of a virgin, at the appointed time, 1,000 years later. He was the Son of David and the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God gave to him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. He is the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. “Hosanna, to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” He is the king who would come and pay the debt of His people, to be their righteousness and take the condemnation and punishment for them, through His death and resurrection. We have new life in Him because He came. God kept His promise.
God does not fit into our plans; we fit into His promises. Where do you fit into God’s promises? If you know Christ as Savior and Lord, you are part of His house. The same hope and promise and assurance given to David is given to you. As students, young adults, single or married, parents, middle-age, or more senior-age: this is who your God is and this is what He is up to. This is His plan and promise He’s working out even today, stretching back and looking forward. The promise of Christ, the promise of a Savior, the promise of a Redeemer, the promise of a King, the promise of payment and punishment for sins, the promise of Christmas; this is for us today, in Him. In the midst of your schooling, working, shopping, parenting, illness, harder times of suffering and pain, we can know God keeps His promises. Don’t be bored with the promise of Christmas this season. In Christ, you have value and worth in God’s plans, as part of His people, part of His church, part of His promise.