You are God's handiwork!

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph.2:10 NIV)

This is a promise that I personalize and say to myself as part of my daily routine.

I say it this way:

“I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works which He has prepared in advance for me to do!”

By repeating this passage in first person, I am doing several things. First, I am making this promise mine! Secondly, I am stating it as though it has already been done for me (and it has been done already “in advance.”) Thirdly, I’m recognizing in this promise that God has created me for a specific purpose that I am able to do because he has prepared both it and me to do it.

Activate your faith

Believing and confessing these things personally is an active part of faith! It activates the promises and makes them happen!

Therefore…

“For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7 NIV)

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1 NIV)

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb. 11:6 NIV

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24 NIV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, god’s handiwork, faith
Nothing can separate us from God's love!

“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39 KJV)

The Love of God

 A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on “The Love of God.” As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. (Source Unknown).

God loves you unconditionally

God’s unconditional love is a fact! His love for you was paid for and guaranteed for you by Jesus’ death on the cross! The payment was made and it can never be “unpaid!” There is absolutely nothing that can separate you from His great love! That’s a promise!

God loved you even while you were yet a sinner

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8 KJV)

God’s love was manifested among us through Jesus

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10 ESV)

Therefore…

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1 John 3:16 ESV) 

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8 ESP)

Quotes:

“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” – C.S. Lewis

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us” – Augustine

“God bestows His blessings without discrimination. The followers of Jesus are children of God, and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good to all, even to those who deserve the opposite.” – F. F. Bruce

Mike Frenchbible promises, love, god’s love, unconditional, unconditional love
You have been brought to fullness!

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Col. 2:9-10 NIV)

You have fullness

I have often heard people say that they “want more of Jesus”. But, I think they are asking amiss. They don’t need more of Jesus because, actually, He has already given His all! Instead, they need to give Jesus more of themselves. The above passage explains that we have fullness through Jesus Christ Himself. In Him “the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.” 

You can’t get fuller than full

The fullness of the deity lives in bodily form and in Christ you have been brought to fullness! You cannot get fuller than full! And, because He is the head over every power and authority, you can rest, assured that you have more than enough of His provision to cover every possible thing!

Therefore…

“From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” (John 1:16)

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13 NIV)

Quotes: 

“A good decision is our will to do everything we can within our power. It means to serve God with all we’ve got, be it little or much. Every person can do that.” - Soren Kierkegaard

“Thats what I love about serving God. In His eyes, there are no little people...because there are no big people. We are all on the same playing field.” - Joni Eareckson Tada 

“God takes that which is nothing and makes something out of it. When you become a Christian, you cannot patch your Christianity onto your old life. You are to start over. Accept God's call as a promotion. Burn the old bridges and fix it so you cannot go back ; then serve God with all your heart.” - Aiden Wilson Tozer

Mike Frenchbible promises, fullness, fullness of christ
Overflowing with thankfulness

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Col. 2:6-7 NIV)

By faith overflow

You received Christ as Lord by believing in Him and coming to Him by simple faith. You must continue to grow and to be built up and rooted in Him in exactly the same way, by faith. And, you do this by reading and meditating on His Word every day. As you meditate (think deeply and personally about) His Word, your thoughts and your behavior begin to change. You will begin to spill over (overflow) with thankfulness! And, because of what He has done for us, we have a lot to be thankful for!

What he learned after being hit by a train

Back in 1988, a Polish railway worker named Jan Grzebski was hit by a train. He lived ... but only barely. For the next 19 years (until the year 2007), Grzebski was in a coma. He awoke in 2007 to a whole new world. Nineteen years earlier, Poland was a communist state. Grzebski noted that back then meat was rationed and there were huge lines at nearly every gas station. And, “there was only tea and vinegar in the shops.” But 19 years later, he awoke to a free nation where he said there were “people on the streets with cell phones and there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin.” But something puzzled him. “What amazes me is all these people who walk around with their mobile phones and yet they never stop moaning.” These people had freedom, and food and wealth greater than Poland had had for decades ... and yet Grzebski woke from his coma to find that ALL they seemed to want to do was grumble! If you don’t get into the habit of thanking God for what you DO have, you’ll soon become ungrateful because what you DON’T have. - From a sermon illustration by Jeff Strite

Therefore…

“Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 106:1 ESV)

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18 ESV)

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (Psalm 109:4 ESV)

Quotes:

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” - Harry Ironside

“How divinely full of glory and pleasure shall that hour be when all the millions of mankind that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God shall meet together and stand around Him, with every tongue and every heart full of joy and praise! How astonishing will be the glory and the joy of that day when all the saints shall join together in one common song of gratitude and love, and of everlasting thankfulness to this Redeemer! With that unknown delight, and inexpressible satisfaction, shall all that are saved from the ruins of sin and hell address the Lamb that was slain, and rejoice in His presence!” - Isaac Watts

“God wants to see prayers that are filled with genuine praise and thanksgiving for what He has done in the past. He wants our hearts to be filled with awe and gratitude for His blessings. He wants us to set up memorials in our hearts testifying to the provisions He has given us.” - Michael Youssef

Mike Frenchbible promises, thankfulness, overflowing with thankfulness
Let the peace of God rule in your heart!

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Col. 3:15 NIV)

A command 

The above passage says to let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Using the word “let” means that we can control whether we have peace ruling in our hearts or not. We are also told that we are “called to peace”. This is a command, not a suggestion. In John 14:27, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. Notice that, here also, Jesus uses the word “let” indicating that you have control over allowing your heart to be troubled or afraid because He gives you peace. 

Perfect peace comes from keeping your mind stayed on God

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isa. 26:3 ESV)

Therefore…

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27 ESV)

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thess. 3:16 ESV)

Quotes:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (Jesus Christ – John 16:33 ESV)

“ In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that "underneath are the everlasting arms," (Deuteronomy 33:27) full of support, provision, comfort and strength.” - Oswald Chambers

“An unpeaceful mind cannot operate normally. Hence the Apostle teaches us to "have no anxiety about anything" (Phil. 4:6). Deliver all anxious thoughts to God as soon as they arise. Let the peace of God maintain your heart and mind (v. 7).” - Watchman Nee

“Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the haven of peace.” - Charles Spurgeon

Mike Frenchbible promises, peace, oeace of god, rule, heart
God provides a way of escape!

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13 NKJV)

Everybody faces temptation on occasion, even Jesus did (and, He did without sin!).

Four promises in one!

There are four really great promises built into this one passage that you can completely count on during any time of temptation.

First, God won’t allow anything “uncommon to man” to tempt you. It won’t be something unusual, strange or weird that temps you. It will be only “common to man” stuff that ordinary people usually are faced with.

Second, “God is faithful” and you can count on His help in dealing with any temptation the devil sends your way. God will always send His help and guidance.

Third, God limits what the enemy can do to you. God won’t allow the enemy to put more on you than “what you can withstand!”

Fourth, God will “make a way for you to escape any temptation so that you can bare it”. Knowing that God promises that there will always “be a way of escape,” you can then confidently look for it, find it, and use it!

Therefore…

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9 ESV)

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 ESV)

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Eph. 6:10 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, escape
God has perfect timing for you!

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

When I was a teenager, I spent a couple of wonderful Alaskan summers commercial fishing and living with Joe Redington, Sr., and his family. Those summers were Alaska at its best!

A note on the door

It began when I came home from the last day of school and found a note on the door telling me my parents had moved to California! Their note told me to go to Emard Cannery in Anchorage to meet Joe Redington. Working with Joe was a great experience and a privilege! Joe is an Alaskan legend and the “father” of the Iditarod dogsled races. I helped him feed his dogs and loved watching him practice dog sledding even in the summertime with sleds equipped with wheels!

Joe was a great mentor to me and taught me a lot 

He and his family lived in a big house next to Flathorn Lake where they lived completely off the grid. No electricity, no running water, no indoor plumbing, but we didn't miss any of it! We collected seagull eggs, hunted and fished. I helped him deliver groceries and supplies to folks out in the wilderness. On long Alaskan summer days we commercial fished in Cook Inlet until we had a full load of salmon. Then we made the long twelve-hour trip to Emard Cannery in Anchorage to deliver our load.

I lost my footing

One day, when we had a big load of fish and were about halfway across Cook Inlet, we stopped for a rest and dropped anchor. Joe went below to take a nap and I was alone upside. Part of my job was to keep the fish from drying out. I hauled up sea water with a bucket on a rope. This time, as soon as I lowered the bucket over the edge into the water, it filled up, but I lost my footing and the weight of it pulled me overboard! My hip boots instantly filled with water and dragged me down even more. My boots stuck to my legs and I couldn’t get them off. I couldn't swim with them! I was quickly running out of air.

Then I felt something grab me by the top of my hood and pull me up to the surface, and then back onto the boat! It was Joe! Joe told me he had just awakened from his nap. He came onto the deck just in time to see me disappear under the water. He was able to grab the gaff-pole to reach for me. It was miraculous that he came on deck at exactly the moment he did and was able to snag the top of my hood. It was a miracle!

God is the God of perfect timing!

“God sends Angels to minister to them who will be heirs of salvation.” (Heb. 1:14)

“My times are in Your hands – deliver me . . .” (Ps. 31:15)

“You are my hiding place; you will preserve me from trouble.” (Ps. 32:7a

Mike Frenchbible promises, joe redington, god’s timing, perfect timing
God will never leave you or forsake you!

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13:5 KJV)

My early years were spent living with my stepfather and brother in Northern California. My brother David and I were pretty much used to the bachelor life and we could pretty much do whatever we wanted to do because Daddy was very relaxed about rules.

Then, in the summer of 1960, at about age 13, I went to live with my mother and her new husband, in Rabbit Creek, Alaska. They were not rich and lived in a log cabin along Rabbit Creek, where they got their water to drink and to bathe with. There was no hot water, no indoor plumbing, and no bathroom! We had to use an outhouse that was up a long path behind the cabin. It was severe culture shock for me and I did not react well to it! In fact, I had, what you might describe as an “attitude”.

That fall I started school

I didn’t like the long walks in the dark both ways to and from the school bus. I hated the 30-miles each way bus trips. It was a long, cold, hard, winter and I complained a lot!

On the last day of school

I was excited that the long walks and commutes were finally over! The school bus dropped me off as usual and I headed home to the cabin. Then I saw the note on the cabin door. It read! “Dear son, we have left for California . . .”

I couldn’t believe it!

They had left me! How could they have done that! I felt abandoned, rejected, and afraid! What happened next, I will save for later.

In life we may sometimes suffer rejection in one way or another from people. But, the Bible has a huge promise from God that we can stand on with complete assurance.  “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13:5 KJV) I feel greatly assured and comforted by this wonderful promise! And, so should you!

Therefore…

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9 ESV) 

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8 ESV)

“For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;” (Psalm 94:14 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, rejection, abandened, left behind, god wont leave you
All God's promises are "Yes" by Jesus, all thousands of them!

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” (2 Cor. 1:20 NIV)

Most Christians, sad to say, don’t experience the kind of blessed life that God has provided for them in the Word of God because of, well, just plain ignorance of what God has provided for them! 

Dried cheese and crackers! 

They are like the guy who, many years ago, booked passage on an ocean liner to cross the Atlantic. He bought the ticket for passage but didn’t have enough money to buy food on the ship. So he took along a trunk full of dried cheese and crackers. Every day while all the other passengers ate sumptuous wonderful meals in the magnificent dining room, he stayed in his room and ate his dried cheese and crackers. It was agonizing for him to smell the wonderful food coming from the ship’s galley each day and to constantly hear the joyful laughter and happy conversations coming from the dining room of the other passengers eating roasts, hams, delicious cakes, pies and wonderful drinks, while at the same time he only ate the awful dried cheese and crackers! It was only on the last day of the long trip that he discovered that the price of the meals was actually included in the price of his ticket! He could have enjoyed all those wonderful meals and drinks if he had only known what was already paid for and available to him during that long, long trip across the Atlantic. 

Just like him, many Christians miss out on what they have in God’s promises which have already been totally paid for by Jesus! They don’t read the Bible and are, therefore, unaware of the many thousands of promises God has provided for them in order to have a joyful, victorious, successful, and health-filled life on planet earth. 

The apostle Paul said it this way 

“Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might. (Ephesians 1:18-19 ESV)

I refuse to walk in ignorance

Once I discover a promise in God’s Word, I immediately acknowledge it as being for me. I thank God for giving it to me. I then speak it out loud and/or write it down. I receive it by faith and begin believing it and acting on it by faith. l mix my faith with God’s promise which makes it come alive and active for me! (Heb. 4:12). It then becomes active and effectualwhich makes me by its very definition, successful, productive, constructive, worthwhile, helpful, beneficial and useful. I love it! What a life to be had and enjoyed by any who do this!

Therefore…

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 129:18 ESV)

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,” (Luke 24:45 ESV)

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.” (Prov. 4:20-22 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises