By Pamela Rose Williams
Introduction
Peter opens his second letter with great news, that we have been given “exceeding great and precious promises”.
2 Peter 1:2-4 ( KJV )
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Have you ever taken some time to look at all the promises that God has for you? Better yet, consider that when Peter wrote this letter the Bible had not been completed yet and since we now have the completed Word of God, we have the opportunity to look back at all the promises that God has made and look forward to the promises that are yet to come. Here are a few:
God Can and Will Do it
If God said it, He will do it: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” (Psalms 89:34)
“… and God is not a man, that he should lie … “(Numbers 23:19)
God does not fail:
“And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” (Joshua 23:14)
Newness In Your Heart– Promise Fulfilled
In the Old Testament the prophet says that we will have a new heart “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
In the New Testament we read: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
All the Promises in Jesus, Past, Present and Future
Paul was speaking to the Church at Corinth when he wrote “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Cor 1:19-20)
Forgiveness of Sin
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12)
Peter tells us: ‘[Christ] Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
Peace
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1)
Rest
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Fruit of the Spirit After We Hear the Word of Truth and Believe
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Galatians 5:22-24)
Eternal Life
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. “(1 John 5:13)
Never Separated from Love of Christ
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
More Promises To Come
A New Name
“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” (Revelation 3:12)
A New Body
“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:21)
New Heavens & Earth
“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13)
No More Tears
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
Final Thoughts
I have only touched the surface of the exceeding great and precious promises, but I think you get the idea. Sometimes it is difficult to recall how very blessed we are as children of God. A good way to keep track of the goodness and the many promises that have been bestowed upon you is to keep a journal of blessings. This is where you write down one new blessing a day and then when you are having a bad day you can take it out and look it over and recall how very blessed you are. Why not start your journal of blessings today?
