"Don't suppose for a moment, though, that God's Word has malfunctioned
in some way or other. The problem goes back a long way. From the outset,
not all Israelites of the flesh were Israelites of the spirit. It wasn't
Abraham's sperm that gave identity here, but God's promise. Remember how
it was put: "Your family will be defined by Isaac" (Romans 9:6-7 MSG)
Our Heavenly Father's promise is always given to those who hunger for
Him. Unfortunately, not everyone loves the light. Some adore darkness,
even though this will never fulfill them. It's not our Father's fault;
rather, it is our own fault that we prefer the ways of the evil one
rather than the love of our Heavenly Father.
We have a choice to
make: To believe God or believe the evil one. The promise can only occur
through faith, through the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Let me
illustrate this. A father promised to give his son a fancy car for his
high school graduation, and when the boy had his high school diploma in
hand, the father handed him the keys. The son took the car, and ignoring
the traffic laws of the land, he proceeded to drive too fast, run red
lights, ignore street signs, etc. It wasn't long before people would see
his car and run!
Eventually the law caught up to him and the son
ended up in trouble.
The father couldn't allow his son to
continue in this manner, and he took the car away.
"But you
promised I could have a car!" yelled the son.
"Not if you are
irresponsible. Did you follow in my steps...?"
"But..."
"Did you?"
Our Heavenly Father loves us dearly. When I do
something wrong, however, even though He still loves me, I displease
Him. This makes me feel very bad. So much so that I wouldn't even want
to try it again.
The promise is a responsibility to cherish, not
to waste on frivolity.
Are we walking in the spirit?
Rob
Chaffart
