Walk With Me - Devotionals: Tom Muir

Should I Ask God To Destroy The Wicked?

Tom Muir — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Should I Ask God To Destroy The Wicked?

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 30th July 2022

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Jesus said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). That's a hard rule to follow! We are more inclined to follow the Psalmist and pray "Give them according to the evil of their deeds"!

There is a disturbing tension there. You find it in several of the psalms where the writer pray for the destruction of evil men rather than their salvation (see Psalm 139:18 - 22). But let us take a second look to see what lies behind the Psalmist's prayers.

First of all he shows there is a clear difference between good and evil, between what God loves and what he hates.

The second thing is that those who wrote those psalms see what the evil people do as an affront to God like 'kicking God in the teeth' and they are outraged. You don't do that to God!

Again, these writers, like all the Old Testament believers saw a God's favour for his people and justice for the wicked in terms of this life. They wanted to see God punish wicked people now. But the Psalm writers always asked God to carry out his justice — they did not attempt to do it for him. And that is how we see things will work out in the end. The book of Revelation in chapter 20:11 - 14 shows clearly how God will finally judge the wicked and all wickedness.

So should I ask God to destroy the wicked? We should pray that he would destroy wickedness but that he would save the wicked people. Only God himself can ultimately do both.

Only A Boy!

Tom Muir — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Only A Boy!

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 27th July 2022

Passage: 1 Samuel 3:10

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If you have time today read the whole of chapter 3 which will give you all the details in the story of God speaking to Samuel although he was only a boy. Samuel's mother Hannah had dedicated Samuel to God and she left Samuel, when he was old enough, in the care of the old priest Eli, to be a helper to Eli in the work surrounding the worship of God. Eli had two sons, both of them priests, but they were really wicked men and had little respect for God and the people.

In time, God by-passed the sons of Eli and chose Samuel to serve him as priest and judge in Israel. Later in the book we have this said about Samuel: "Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground." (1 Samuel 3:19). At the end of his life he was able to say to the people that he had walked before them as God's true servant from his youth until old age. He was God's faithful servant from the time he was only a boy. What a wonderful testimony to have!

There is a great lesson her for us. The old Sunday School chorus sang "I'm not too young to come to Jesus for he loves a little child." Indeed it is wonderfully true that Jesus loves the young folk and wants them to put their trust in him from an early age and he will keep them from so much harm and sin.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray that you will help us to encourage the children to give their lives to Jesus so that they may become 'samuels'! Amen.

There Is No Racism With God

Tom Muir — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

There Is No Racism With God

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 24th July 2022

Passage: Acts 10:34

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It is one of those sins which we find common to people all over the world: people don't like other people who are different from themselves. Racism is such a well-known problem and it causes such bitterness, suffering and even open warfare. The hatred that can be found even in the most civilised countries, is usually caused by one racial group despising (and often fearing) another group.

Christians are not immune from having such racist views and it is sad when their behaviour shows this to be so. The Bible is very clear that this is sinful and unworthy of those who claim to follow Christ. There is no racism with God. After all, God who created the world and everything in it, "made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth ... that they should seek God ..." (Acts 17:26 27). There is only one Saviour for all mankind and those who follow the Lord Jesus are truly brothers and sisters in the great family of God.

One of the great 'pictures' we are shown in the Bible is of people "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9) and all of them were singing praises to the Lord. That is God's answer to racism.

Prayer

Dear Lord, please help me to know that each person is as precious to you as every other, as even me. Amen.

Under The Cover Of Darkness

Tom Muir — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Under The Cover Of Darkness

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 21st July 2022

Passage: John 3:1-2

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John is the only Gospel writer who tells us about Nicodemus and then only in three places in his Gospel. Yet Nicodemus comes across as a really nice person, someone whom it would have been good to know.

When we first meet Nicodemus in the Gospel he comes to see Jesus at night, under the cover of darkness. He was a prominent Jewish leader, someone whose colleagues were very critical of Jesus but he wanted to ask Jesus some really important questions because he was obviously wanting to know the truth about who Jesus was and the message he was teaching. Jesus told him that he must be born again and how this can happen.

The second time we meet Nicodemus he is among his Jewish colleagues defending Jesus' teaching when the others were keen to condemn him without having asked Jesus to address them. Nicodemus was shouted down.

The third time is just after the crucifixion of Jesus when, along with Joseph from Arimathea (a Jewish city) he helped to carefully bury Jesus and put spices around his body. This took great courage on the part of these two men - both of whom had secretly been followers of Jesus but now showed openly their love and respect for him. How glad they must have been when, three days later, Jesus rose from the grave.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for Nicodemus. Give me the courage to openly show my love for Jesus. Amen.

Silence In Heaven

Tom Muir — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Silence In Heaven

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 18th July 2022

Passage: Revelation 8:1

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Heaven is not used to silence. The sound of music is everywhere as the heavenly crowds — angels and God's redeemed people sing the praises of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So what happened to bring about this tense silence? It was as if heaven itself was holding its breath for some momentous event. And it was right, for this was the beginning of God's final judgement of an evil world. The Old Testament foretold this as two of the prophets, Zephaniah and Zechariah both said that people should be silent as the great day of the Lord's judgment was approaching.

God's judgment seems something strange to us, something we just read about but don't take seriously — it feels far away and does not feel as if it all applies to us. But that is a false hope. God's judgment is real and the silence in heaven shows us what an awesome thing God's judgment is. And it is Christ who is in charge of the judgment of God upon the wicked world. It is the Lamb who is at the centre of all that is happening in this part of the Bible. The Lamb was put to death by the wicked people in the world and they still hate him. But one day all his enemies will be put under his feet. Jesus Christ is Lord and all heaven will declare his glory. Will we be among those who praise him and follow him ?

Prayer

Dear Lord, Help me to see just how serious and real your judgment is and to be ready for it by your grace. Amen.

The King Of Glory

Tom Muir — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The King Of Glory

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 15th July 2022

Passage: Psalm 24:8

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Too often our thoughts about what God is like are much too small. Maybe we think, "I wonder if God can do something or other for me?" Psalm 24 reminds us that God can do whatever he wants to do — he is the King of Glory, strong and mighty.

This psalm is a glorious acknowledgement of who God is and why it is absolutely right that we should praise him. Indeed the way the psalm is written in its original language stressed the point that God, the King of Glory is the rightful and fit ruler of the world which he has made. God is great, the almighty warrior King — and he is good!

The psalm is the celebration of several things but I want us just to concentrate on this one point about the glory of God. The glory of God is seen supremely in his holiness and his goodness as well as in his power and wisdom and his love. He is the God of creation and also the God of grace and salvation. So it is fitting that we should praise and honour God not only with our lips but with our obedience and our thankfulness. Even in times when suffering and sorrow come to us we can still be thankful to God because we know that nothing is beyond his control, nothing is beyond his love. He is the King of Glory.

Prayer

King of my life, I crown you now, yours shall the glory be Amen. (Hymn by J. E. Hussey)

The Shepherd And The Host

Tom Muir — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Shepherd And The Host

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 12th July 2022

Passage: Psalm 23:1

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This is the best known psalm of all the 150 psalms. Most of us have learned it from childhood and have loved it ever since then. It is a Psalm in two pictures, both of which show the perfect goodness of God. God is both the good Shepherd of his people and he is also the perfect Host, treating those who trust him as honoured guests in his house. Isn't that truly wonderful?

As the good Shepherd, God takes such care of his people that they are satisfied, guided, cared for when wounded, encouraged, and given courage to face the hard times in life; yes and they are disciplined gently to help them back on to the right road. Like sheep we can too easily go astray.

As the perfect Host, God treats us in such a special way that we are filled with wonder that the Lord of heaven should lavish such attention on us.

What does all this mean? It means that for those of us who are Christians, God has a special relationship with us. We are special to him. The almighty eternal God is a God of tenderness — caring and patient with those who are his children through faith in Jesus. It is both humbling and also wonderful that God loves us!

Prayer

Dear Lord, I am lost in wonder, love and praise as I think of all you are to your children. Amen.

Opposition

Tom Muir — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Opposition

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 9th July 2022

Passage: Ezra 4:4

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Almost every day we get messages on the internet telling of bad things happening to Christians in so many countries throughout our troubled world. Churches are burned down, homes destroyed, Christians put in prisons, others lose their jobs. It seems the world hates the followers of Jesus.

Two of the Old Testament books Ezra and Nehemiah tell about the situation in Jerusalem when God's people began returning from their many years as prisoners in Babylon. One of the first things they wanted to do when they got back was to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed years before. But we are told that the people who had been settled in Jerusalem when the Jews had been banished tried to stop the temple being rebuilt. They tried to 'discourage and frighten' the people. How do you deal with situations like that?

How do we deal with opposition as we try to live as Christians in a non-Christian world? The people who opposed the rebuilding of the temple were called 'adversaries' - a word from which the word Satan comes. This means we must at all times pray for God's help. The rebuilding work went ahead in fits and starts. Patience was needed and also perseverance. Opposition will come but God's work will ultimately prevail. The temple was rebuilt.

Prayer

Almighty God, we pray that your Kingdom will be established throughout the world in spite of the opposition from Satan. Amen.

Fellowship

Tom Muir — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Fellowship

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 6th July 2022

Passage: Acts 2:42

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Fellowship is one of the great words in the Christian vocabulary. Think for a moment of a building going up and the bricklayer puts one brick on another and so on but suppose he didn't use cement. Very quickly the whole building would become unstable. The cement was vital to holding the building together. Fellowship is the cement that binds Christians together. If there is no real Christian fellowship in a congregation then that congregation is in deep trouble — it will collapse.

The Christians in the early church 'lived in a wonderful harmony' Acts 2:42 (The Message) and that is what we must want to have in our congregations too. There are many things that can prevent 'wonderful harmony' among Christians - for example, trying to bring ungodly things into the church or Christians taking part in ungodly practices with unbelievers.

But true fellowship can be seen when Christians love one another, help one another, pray for one another and with joy join with one another in the worship of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is also a bond of faith with Christians who may worship in other churches different from our own. True fellowship is grounded in our love and obedience to Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to love the fellowship of your people. Amen.

Pray For Your Leaders

Tom Muir — Sun, 03 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Pray For Your Leaders

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 3rd July 2022

Passage: Psalm 20:4

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We all love to grumble at our politicians — even if we voted for them at election times! Of course they are just ordinary people like ourselves. Like us they make mistakes, they have to make decisions about important matters and like us too they need to listen to what other people are saying. Above all our leaders need God's help and we have a duty to pray for them.

Psalm 20 is a great example of people praying for their leader — in their case they were praying for their king as he was setting off to go to war. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul tells us that we should pray for our leaders - rulers and all who are in high positions. Many of those people may not trust God for themselves they may even be quite anti — Christian(as they were in Paul's day) but then we need to pray for them all the more! When leaders are good leaders and exercise their authority wisely then we will be able to live a "peaceable and godly life, dignified in every way" (1 Timothy 2:2-3)

In our own country we are thankful that we have freedom to worship God and to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that our leaders will always allow this to be the case . Let us remember the many Christians living in countries where there is persecution and suffering and very little freedom to worship God.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to be faithful in praying for the leaders of our land. Amen.

Miracles, Signs And Wonders

Tom Muir — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Miracles, Signs And Wonders

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 27th February 2022

Passage: John 6:1-15

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The Bible uses three words which are translated in English as miracles, signs and wonders. These words describe different acts and happenings which, as far as the New Testament is concerned, centred on the ministry of Jesus Christ and his apostles. The greatest miracle was the resurrection of Jesus. Other spectacular events, like the feeding of five thousand people were seen as special signs telling us something of the nature and character of God. For example, after feeding all these people Jesus said "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35) and he went on to explain what that means.

Some people deny that miracles ever existed. Their view of the world is such that they say "You cannot alter the laws of nature to allow such things as miracles, signs and wonders to happen". They forget, or won't believe, that we live in the world God has made — the laws of nature are there because that is the way God made the world. And the God who made the world is alive and well and is altogether free to act in ways which please him. Miracles, signs and wonders can be seen as actions of God's mercy and grace as well as his power. We see this as the Gospels tell us about the works of the Lord Jesus. Never feel ashamed or embarrassed to say you believe in miracles.

Prayer

Lord, I do thank you that you are the God of miracles who is lovingly active in the world you have made, Amen.

Forgiveness

Tom Muir — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Forgiveness

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 24th February 2022

Passage: Colossians 3:13

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa once wrote a book called "No Future without forgiveness". It was part of an effort to heal the deep wounds which people had experienced in the years of apartheid in that country.

The title of the book has an ongoing importance for us because it is telling us a really Biblical message. We have no future unless we confess our sin to God and receive his forgiveness. Without that we are lost. The word 'forgiveness' itself, and the other Bible words which refer to forgiveness, teach us a lot. For example, there are words which mean to cover, to lift away, to send away or to let go — to loose away. They are all telling us of how the burden of guilt we have because of our sin can be lifted, the grip of our sin can be loosened and how we, sinners as we are, can be free and have a future with God. God gives us forgiveness, but we must accept it from him.

However, forgiveness is a 'two-sided coin'. "As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive". We may forfeit the blessing of forgiveness if we keep an unforgiving spirit stored up in our hearts and minds. In Ephesians 4:32 Paul writes: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you".

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to remember that the cross of Jesus is the cost of my forgiveness and help me also to forgive others as I have been forgiven. Amen.

Trusting In Sorrow

Tom Muir — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Trusting In Sorrow

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 21st February 2022

Passage: Job 1:21

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Bad things do happen to good people. Bad things happen to God's people and they may wonder, 'what is the purpose of my suffering?' How we cope with the bad things which may come to us is often a real test of our faith and our Christian character.

The book of Job shows us how a good man who experienced great sorrow and great suffering came, in the end, to a quiet acceptance that the Almighty God can be trusted even when Job could not understand the reason for his many problems.

In the beginning of the book of Job we learn that Job lost his great wealth and he suffered the loss of his family. Yet in the face of these calamities, and in the midst of his grief, he said "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" Job 1:21. What a testimony to Job's trust in God that he could sing in his sorrow words of praise to the Lord! But God knew Job — knew he was a man willing to sing to God out of the depths of sorrow because he knew his God would hold him up even when everything seemed against him. Job says in chapter 13:15 "Though he slay me, I will hope in him."

Prayer

Dear Lord God, there are times in my life when I don't understand your ways with me and I confess I find it hard to trust you. Forgive my unbelief and strengthen my trust, as I know that you will never desert me. Amen.

God Sent His Son

Tom Muir — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

God Sent His Son

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 18th February 2022

Passage: Galatians 4:4

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When the Bible says that 'God sent forth his son', it shows us clearly that this was a unique event — it speaks of a new set of circumstances coming into being. Jesus, the son of God, came 'in the fullness of time' - God's special time.

There are three great parts in the Bible where it says that God sent forth his son and each of them gives an important reason why this happened. In 1 John 4:10 we are told that God sent Jesus to be the means, by his death on the cross, by which God's anger and hatred against us sinners would be 'obliterated from his sight' (J I Packer). And he did this because of his love for us.

In Galatians 4:4 we are told that God sent his son to redeem us because we were slaves to sin and had broken God's law. To redeem us Jesus had to die for us to pay the price for our freedom and to bring us into a family relationship with God.

In 1 John 4:9 we read that God sent his son that we might live through him - the start of a spiritual life that never ends.

From all of this we have to see the uniqueness of God's salvation which is all centred in and achieved through Jesus Christ. We have no salvation, no forgiveness, no eternal life apart from Jesus.

Prayer

Almighty God we thank you for sending Jesus. Amen.

Living By Faith

Tom Muir — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Living By Faith

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 15th February 2022

Passage: Hebrews 11:1

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Being a Christian in the days when the letter to the Hebrews was written was not easy. The Christians often had to suffer physically and emotionally. For them the world was a hard, unfriendly place and very anti-God. For that reason the writer of the letter tells a lot of stories of people who lived by what he calls faith, and they too lived in difficult circumstances. These stories were told to encourage these struggling Christians, and us, so that we also might live by faith and so prove the reliability and help of God in every time of need.

But what is faith? Faith is really a relationship between God and the Christian. It is the channel through which the saving mercy of Jesus Christ comes to us and puts us into a Father-child relationship with God. So faith becomes our personal trust and confidence in the God who has saved us.

The more we come to learn about God, the more our relationship with him will strengthen and that will help us to cope with all sorts of setbacks and persecutions we may face in this life. God will help us and he will also assure us of the better things he has prepared for us in the life to come. We learn to trust him more and more in this life too.

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, help me to trust you to provide for my daily needs and to help me to serve you in the way you call me to. Amen.

Christ Has Set Us Free!

Tom Muir — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Christ Has Set Us Free!

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 12th February 2022

Passage: Galatians 5:1

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Freedom! In the time of Paul, as in any time, freedom was a really precious possession. Its opposite was slavery. Paul was thankful that he had been born free.

But Paul is telling us in the words at the top of the page of an even more precious freedom and also of an even greater slavery. The freedom he speaks about is what the Christian enjoys; the slavery is what binds up a person who tries, even very hard, to please God by his own good deeds.

When a Christian is living a faithful life of obedience to Jesus Christ he/she is free from the condemnation of God's law (because of what Jesus did for our salvation). The Christian is free from the daily grind of trying to please God by our own efforts. And we are free from the devil's taunts about past sins which he brings up again (they are all forgiven); and we are free from worrying about what other people think about us because we are following Christ.

Before we became Christians we may have tried to please God, thinking that our own efforts would be enough, but we failed and just became slaves to rules and regulations. Only Christ sets us free!

Prayer

Dear God, I praise you that you have given me your son, Jesus Christ, that I might no longer be a slave to my own efforts. Amen.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Tom Muir — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Who Do You Think You Are?

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 9th February 2022

Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:17

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Nowadays it is very popular to have people trying to trace their family roots, maybe hoping to find that there was some very important person in their family's past.

The Bible too is very interested in family histories. You just need to read Genesis chapters 9, 11 and 36 for example, or the early chapters of Matthew and Luke where we read about the human relatives of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was very proud of his family roots; 'a Hebrew of the Hebrews, of the tribe of Benjamin...' It was very important to know who a person was and that is true for us too.

But God is interested in knowing who we are in relation to him. When we become Christians we become new creations and we are immediately born into a new family. That family is God's family. So, just as in our natural family we show certain family characteristics like physical features, we have to show characteristics of our new (God's) family. Paul gives a list of some of these in Galatians 5: 22 - 23. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are characteristics which the Holy Spirit helps to develop in us as members of God's family.

So who do you think you are? Are you in God's family?

Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray you will take me into your family and help me to develop all the family likenesses you want to see in me. Amen.

Jesus Was Passing By

Tom Muir — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Jesus Was Passing By

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 6th February 2022

Passage: Matthew 9:9

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Here is one man's story of how he became a Christian. It was as if we said to him, 'Matthew, tell us how you became a follower of Jesus.' He began in a very relaxed way "Jesus was passing by and he said to me, 'Follow me'". How would you react if Jesus said that to you? I don't know if Jesus and Matthew had ever spoken to one another before, or if Matthew had listened to Jesus when he was preaching to the people. Anyway, Matthew was challenged by what Jesus said to him, and he said to himself "Yes, I will follow him". That decision cost Matthew a lot as Luke tells us plainly that Matthew left everything and followed Jesus as one of his 12 apostles. We don't know exactly what happened to Matthew in later life; the Bible does not tell us. However, there are many stories from the early years of the church to give us a picture of Matthew as a great evangelist for the Christian Gospel. For Matthew the cost of following Jesus was truly worthwhile, and at the end he had endless life with his Saviour in heaven. And all of this happened as Jesus was 'passing by'.

Jesus challenges us today. He is passing by as you read this. Have you followed him as your Saviour and Lord? Matthew shows us the way!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to follow you as Matthew did and be my Saviour and Lord and Friend. Amen

God's Engagement Ring

Tom Muir — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

God's Engagement Ring

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 3rd February 2022

Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:5

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When a young couple get engaged, friends like to see the engagement ring the girl has usually been given. Why has she got that ring? It is a pledge from her fiancé that in time they will be married — the ring is a kind of guarantee that this will happen. The Greek word for 'guarantee' in the text at the top of the page is usually used in modern Greek to refer to things in connection with weddings — an engagement ring.

The Bible speaks about the Holy Spirit as God's guarantee to us that, as Christians, there is a day coming when we will be with God in heaven, when all the things we don't fully understand now, will become clear to us, and all God's promises to us as Christians will be given to us. God guarantees it by giving us his Holy Spirit to be in us and guide us.

The Holy Spirit acts like God's engagement ring and he will be faithful to us until he takes us to heaven. It may be that we shall have many trials along the way as Christians but we can always look to God — he has guaranteed the wedding day will come!

Prayer

Almighty God, we thank you for the assurance you give us that as your people none of your promises to us will fail. Amen.