The land of promise
I wonder how much faith you put in promises? I guess the answer might be, “depends on who makes the promise”. In the film “Liar, Liar” Jim Carrey plays a successful lawyer for whom integrity means very little as long as he wins the case. Indeed success drives everything he does. That same success though has led to divorce from his wife and the loss of his son. His young son loves him very much, but it is a love that hurts because his father always lets him down. Time and time again he promises his son the most wonderful treats, but they never materialise. Then one night the son makes a wish that his father would tell the truth for just one day and that is when all hell breaks loose for Jim Carrey.
We are all going to hear a lot of promises over the next few weeks. Pledges are going to be made. Change is going to be the order of the day. A bright new world awaits just around the corner. I am not here to push one particular political view and nor am I hear to rubbish politicians. What occurs to me though is whether promises can be kept? Pledges have to be paid for. I am no economist, but I do know that the country is running a deficit that runs into billions. That is going to have to be funded and the question is where is the pain going to be applied? Who is going to lose out in order to meet the promises? No-one seems to want to discuss that.
God on the other hand never makes promises he can’t keep. For example:
- He promised an old man called Abraham that he would have a child at the age of 100 and he did.
- He promised a man called Moses that he would rescue the Israelites from Egypt and he did
- He promised his people that he would give them a land of their own and he did
- He promised that if they didn’t behave they would lose that land and they did.
- He promised one day that a man called Jesus would come and die for our sins in order to bring us back to God and he did
- Finally he promised that Jesus would return one day to right all wrongs and make a new world and he will
Jesus also told his followers that walking with God wouldn’t be easy. He warned them of persecution. Of being hated by the world. Of false arrest and even death. Yet for over two thousand years millions of people have thought the pain was worth it. Following Jesus and all that he offers is worth the sacrifice . What he offers is love, forgiveness and a new life with God. God will never compromise to win your loyalty, but he will deliver all that he promises.