Not
one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had
failed; all came to pass. Joshua 21:45
For
the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away,
everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ Acts 2:39
The Old Testament reference reveals that all the
‘Good’ promises of God have been fulfilled – kept!
The promises referred to are about the people of
God entering and being established in the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey.
One intriguing Question to ask is what about the ‘not good’ promises? Who makes the value judgement of what are
considered the Good and the other types of promises?
How do people view the promises we make? How well
do we keep our word?
The promise referred to in the Acts reference is part
of Peter’s address to the crowds on the day we celebrate in our Generation as
Pentecost, 3000 were added to the membership of the church on this occasion.
The promise referred to is that the Holy Spirit is promised for all whom the
Lord God calls to him. With this promise being defined in this way, how do we
know who God has called to him? Is it important to us that we know? Does it
affect - or not - how we treat other people? How confident are we that we are
‘in’? What might we need to do, say, think, for our own assurance of being
‘in’?
How by keeping our word are we developing our
integrity and reflecting the integrity of God? Do these things aid us to be a
light or signpost to others toward our Lord and Saviour, towards the triune
Godhead? What will help us be more so?
St Clement’s
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