God's Promises Fulfilled In Jesus

"Today's Devotion" For April 5, 2007

Read: Luke 22:24-38; Psalm 116

GOD'S PROMISES FULFILLED

"It is written: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in Me. Yes, what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment." (Luke 22:37)

Have you ever made a promise you couldn't keep? I dare say that's true for everyone. The reasons for not keeping a promise are myriad. Circumstances beyond our control might keep us from following through with a promise - illness, accident, disaster, and storm are good examples, to name a few. Sometimes promises are made with no intention of keeping them because it's convenient, achieves an objective, or gets someone off one's back. I'm sure that if we carried this discussion further we could come up with countless times promises are made and broken and the myriad reasons for such failure. In the end, however, there's no doubt that broken promises have their origins in our sinful, human condition.

It's that very condition, the condition of sinners separated from God by disobedience and unbelief, which caused God to make a promise that has been kept. Jesus' addresses this for His disciples and us in conjunction with the events of the events of the Thursday of Holy Week - Maundy Thursday - by sharing with them His body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine in the Last Supper, the final Passover meal Jesus' celebrated on earth. In His subsequent conversations with them on that night, as the disciples argued among themselves as to whom would be the greatest among them, as Peter declared his loyalty and willingness to suffer for Jesus, and Jesus urging them to get ready to travel, He reminds them that He had come for a purpose - to fulfill the prophecy and promise of the Father that the Christ would suffer and die for the sins of the world.

As we continue our walk along the "Via Dolorosa" with Jesus again today and are reminded that His body and blood have been given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins, we take heart and have courage in the face of a dangerous world. God has kept His promises to send a Savior for us. God has fulfilled those promises in Jesus. Jesus gladly and willingly went to the Cross and bore our sins upon Himself, sinless and holy though He was, so that we and all who believe in Him would be saved, would be covered by His righteousness, and could stand before the Father, holy and sinless in Jesus. While there are many promises flying around the world, off our lips and the lips of others, which we can never be sure are going to happen, or which have been continually broken, we have confidence and hope that God's promises are sure and certain. They have been kept by Him - Jesus has fulfilled them. In Him we have forgiveness of sins, the hope of heaven, and the courage to share His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness with others.

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving me the gift of eternal life in Christ. You have kept Your promises to me and all humanity by fulfilling salvation in the blood of Jesus. Forgive me for all too often forgetting Your promises and trying to live life without Your strength and wisdom to guide me. Forgive me for failing so often to keep my own promises, including those I've made to You. Help me to follow Jesus' example of obedience and be faithful in my promises by faith to live in Him and to share Your Good News with everyone I meet each day. Guide me to proclaim the fulfillment of Your promised salvation in Jesus and the assurance of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with You forever in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2007 by Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.