Standing on the Promises of God.....the Wayfarer 4/6/16

Standing on the Promises of God
 4/6/16 

Philippians 4:13King James Version (KJV)

¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Yet another precious old hymn, recalled from childhood days in attendance at the small, country churches built by and attended by great grandparents, grandparents, some now abandoned, and overgrown with weeds deserted by the generations that followed them for the allure of larger, more opulent buildings and larger, more affluent congregations, or for the allures of a society that no longer holds to the precepts taught there, is the old standard that is still sung in other small country churches that remain, as well as in some of those larger congregations, as well, being often used in movies that portray the backwardness of those older generations that gathered there, and those few that still choose to do so.

Penned by R. Kelso Carter, and copyrighted in 1185 by John J. Hood, it is a song that would remind us that those promises need be remembered daily, need be honored on our own part, daily, and remain available to any who would choose to remember their source… daily!

 Standing on the promises

“Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Thru eternal ages let His praises ring;

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail;

By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I now can see, Perfect present cleansing in the blood for me;

Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord;

Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises, I cannot fall, listening every moment to the Spirit’s call;

Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior, standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.”

Since the days when this old hymn was penned, time has progressed, the world has progressed, that progression leading to a forgetfulness of the promises made, and honored throughout the entire history of man, as new promises, given by men, have been made and broken time and again, as new and progressive philosophy has crept into the bastions of faith where the memory of those promises were passed from generation to generation along with the requirements to be met in order to acquire and accept those promises.

Still, those promises stand!

Still those promises continue to be honored!

Still those promises are remembered, and will continue to be remembered… by God!

The prayer offered within the homes, as well as at the assembly places that now so often are overgrown and forgotten, is all too often equally neglected and forgotten.

The source of the very strength needed to get through the storms of doubt and fear that are caused by that  forgetfulness, and choosing to stand on promises of men, rather than that of God is also neglected and forgotten as individuals, families and entire nations succumb to those storms because of that neglect and forgetfulness.

The source of that strength that is necessary remains in Christ Jesus alone.

No matter how negative the circumstance, no matter the depth of despair, no matter the seeming impossibility to overcome the things that would frustrate and steal any residue of joy, strength to endure and overcome are available; when memory is returned and there is a realization of wherein that strength abides.

Our scriptures are filled with promises of blessings… blessings that come only with adherence and obedience to what has been asked of us by God.

Those blessings promised are blessings both in this world as well as in that yet to come.

Those blessings promised are also often forgotten and neglected as they go unnoticed when given, as other promises, false promises are pursued in their stead.

The praise that needs to be given is forgotten, as those blessings remain unnoticed, accepted as entitlement, by those who would only wish to have more entitlement without labor, without having to pursue the source of the blessing.

The greatest blessing of all is missed as the need to hear the call of God to repentance is ignored.

Matthew 28:18-20 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen

That 20^th verse does not say to teach only a few of the things commanded, or only the pleasant and warm fuzzy that  comes with the promises, but it says that we are to observe ALL things commanded and taught, then giving the promise that should be stood upon daily.

Without first having comprehended and accepted the promise delivered by the Grace of God through Christ Jesus, and what He has done through the crucifixion and resurrection and continues to do through His mediation, we are unable to stand on the promise of God as we sink ever more deeply into the quicksand that is provided through the promises of men.

Once having made the decision to trust in that promise, made by Christ, then the promises of God, each and all, become more apparent and the source of stability lauded in the old Hymn apparent to those making that decision.

As for myself, I not only remember that old hymn, and the reason it was written, but encourage all to remember as well, as did Paul:

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer