Ann Landers told about a man who, every time he got paid, would stick $50 in a shoe box in the back of his closet. He did this for years and accumulated quite a bit of cash.
When he got sick and realized that he was reaching the end, he had a request of his wife.
“I want you to promise me something.”
“What is it?”
“I want you to promise me that when I die, you will put that shoebox of cash in my casket. I want to see if I really can take it with me.”
She said she would be sure his money was in his casket.
So he died, and she grieved, and she kept her promise . . . sort of. She deposited the money in her checking account, wrote a check for the full amount and slipped that check in his casket.
A promise is a promise, isn’t it?
I heard about an enterprising young lady in her late teens who wanted to earn some extra money for the summer and decided to hire herself out for odd jobs. Pulling weeds, laying pine straw, whatever she could find.
She started canvassing in a well-to-do neighborhood and went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any work she could do.
“Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint the porch. How much will you charge me?”
Delighted, the girl quickly responded, “How about $50?”
The man said, “Agreed! I promise to pay you $50 to paint the porch.” Then he showed her where the paint and brushes were in the garage.
The man’s wife heard the conversation and asked, “Does she realize that our porch goes all the way around the house? Is she blonde or something?”
The husband responded, “That’s a bit cynical, isn’t it?”
The wife replied, “I guess you’re right.”
A few hours later, the girl came to the door to collect her money.
“You’re finished already?” the husband asked.
“Yes,” she replied, “and I even had paint left over, so I gave it two coats.”
Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50 and handed it to her along with a $10 tip. He kept his end of the deal, and she kept hers.
“Thank you,” she said, “and, by the way, it’s not a porch. It’s a Lexus!”
I guess you have to be clear and specific so you’ll know what you’re committing to. I’m thankful that God’s promises are clear and certain and absolutely guaranteed.
One commentator wrote that the Bible contains 8,810 promises. Here are twelve that remind us of God’s care for our lives:
1) God’s presence – Joshua 1:5 – “I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”
2) God’s protection – Genesis 15:1 – “I am your shield.”
3) God’s power – Is. 41:10 – “I will strengthen you and uphold you.”
4) God’s provision – Philippians 4:19 – “My God shall supply all your need.”
5) God’s leading – John 10:4 – “And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them.”
6) God’s purposes – Jeremiah 29:11 – “I know the thoughts I think toward you . . . thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
7) God’s rest – Matthew 11:28 – “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
8 God’s forgiveness – Jeremiah 31:34 – “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
9) God’s goodness – Psalm 84:11 – “No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly.”
10) God’s comfort – Isaiah 66:13 – “I will comfort you.”
11) God’s instruction – Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.”
12) God’s wise workings – Romans 8:28 – “All things work together for good to them that love the Lord.”
God is a God of His word, and you can count on His promises. As one man said, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”
Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor, McDonough Road Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Ga. The church family gathers at 352 McDonough Road, just past the department of drivers’ services office, and invites you to join them this Sunday for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:55 a.m. Visit them on the web at www.mcdonoughroad.org.
