Standing on the Promises

Throughout our time here at GSP we have been incredibly blessed by the various input that we've received. Shortly after the students arrived we heard briefly from our International President, Mike Treneer. I've been really blessed by his teaching and input over the years, and this was no exception. He shared how very often in these settings (conferences, summer training programs, etc.) people have "mountaintop" experiences where they feel like if they just would put out their hands they could touch God. However, he shared, very often after people leave these settings and return to "normal life" they can descend into the valley having the same struggles that they had before, and the mountain tops can make the valleys seem even deeper. This leads to a rollercoaster experience of the Christian life. Mike shared that this had been his experience, and it has been mine to. (I'll share personally, but the main thoughts and ideas here are Mike's).

I've had many "mountaintop" experiences in my Christian life thus far. I can remember many of them very vividly. I've also experienced many "valleys" and know the sting of defeat and the disillusionment that follows. Often on these mountaintops we make promises to God: "God, I'll never do this again" or "I promise to only live for you each and ever moment of the rest of my life" and on and on and on. All too often, in my own life and in the lives of friends that I know and love, these promises can become the standing of our faith. We can think well I know I'm growing in my walk with God because, well look at the promises I've made. Or I must be a committed follower look at all the promises I've made.

Then when we leave these peaks and resume our normal lives, we realize we can't keep these promises and we feel even worse. "Wow, I must really be horrible if I can't do this or continue doing that." And we experience the rollercoaster. As Mike shared about this he also shared the story where he really felt confronted by the Lord about this. He was in a place where a close friend of his had died and he felt he needed to pray and recommit himself (i.e. make a new promise to God). He felt like the Lord was saying to him, it's not about your promises, but about the promises I've given you! How amazing, that the basis of our life stands not on our promises to God but on His promises to us!!!

Mike shared that he still experiences highs and lows, but that in the midst of them he has learned to look not to his words to God, but on God's Word to him! I was so blessed and encouraged by this. I've found myself thinking on this again and again throughout the past weeks. I'm reminded of one of my favorite passages of Scripture: one that Kathryn and I had read at our wedding and one that I pray through and think on often.

"And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul." - Jeremiah 32:38-41

What strikes me about this passage is how all of the "they wills" (what God's people will do, their promises so to speak) flow from the "I wills" of the passage (what God is promising to do). I find myself standing on these promises often, preaching the gospel to myself from this passage (truly these promises find their fulfillment through the life, death, resurrection, exaltation and soon coming return of Christ)! This message from Mike has been a huge blessing to Kathryn and I this summer as we continue to wait for our visas and pour out our lives to these fantastic internationals here in Colorado! I hope it is a blessing to you as well.