STANDING ON THE PROMISES

STANDING ON THE PROMISES A promise is a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that guarantees that a particular thing will happen. How many promises have you made in your life or been given in your life that have totally not been fulfilled? As a parent, one of the worst things I can do to my kids is to make promises I do not keep. I know that when I promise my girls something special and keep my word, they are overjoyed. On the other hand, when I fail to keep a promise, I can see the disappointment in their faces. We are not perfect and we often fail, but there is One who never fails on His promises. He is the One we can trust. I am so glad that God’s promises to us are so much more dependable than our promises to Him. He has promised us that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9).” That is a promise He has never faltered on and never will. We sing the song “Standing on the Promises”, yet, do we really stand on them? This song reminds me that when we stand on the promises of God, we can rest in our Savior. Does anyone need rest? Standing on the promises I cannot fall Listening every moment to the Savior’s call Resting in my Savior as my all in all Standing on the promises of God. Let me point out several promises that are found in Scripture. I pray they will encourage you today. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:4 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 Standing on His Promises, Aaron Hodges

YOUR TURN It was a beautiful morning. It started out with much needed rain and later the sun came out. The morning was like any other Tuesday morning, really. I slowly woke up at 6:15, made lunches, helped get the kids get off to school, and went back to bed for a while. Shortly thereafter I got up and went to work. Work was also typical at the start of the day. I arrived a few minutes before staff prayer time and staff meeting. I got my things together for the meeting and headed to the Pastor’s office. Although most people know that staff meeting is at 9 o’clock and that I cannot take calls during that time, my phone started ringing at ten minutes past nine. The thought crossed my mind, “Do I take the call or do I let it go to voicemail?” I glanced over at my phone and saw that it was my wife. It was at that moment that I had multiple scenarios shoot through my mind. Was somebody hurt? Who was sick now? Was the house burning down? What was broken now? With all that going through my mind, I decided to answer the phone. I answered and very quietly reminded my wife that I was in staff meeting and that I had only a moment to talk. She told me about someone in the hospital that was not doing well and near death. I learned that Dr. Michael Anderson’s dad was in Kennestone Hospital after having a massive stroke and was not expected to survive through the day. From that moment my day was far from routine. I left immediately to go and serve the Andersons. When I arrived at the hospital I found Dr. Anderson’s father, Bill Knox, in the ICU. I was greeted by Stephanie Anderson and informed that Mr. Knox did not have much time left and the rest of the family was on their way. Dr. Michael and the girls arrived about 30 minutes later. What a privilege I had to be a part of that very intimate time in their lives. At one point, Dr. Michael turned to me and asked if I would sing something. Asking me to sing something is like asking a Rottweiler to attack. I obviously said yes and sang the incredible song that everyone loves, Amazing Grace. I felt a peace in the room and I knew the Spirit of God had filled that place. A little later Dr. Michael asked me to sing another song. By this time it was just the family and me in the room. I asked God to give me the perfect song and He did. I began to sing It Is Well with My Soul. When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul". It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul. As soon as I cut off the last note of the song, Bill Knox immediately went to be with the Lord. It was his turn to leave this world and be called into the very throne room of Christ. What an incredible moment for the family and for me! Later that day, I got to thinking about what happened. God knew from the beginning of time that at 12:45 pm on Tuesday, August 14th, He would call Bill Knox home. From the beginning of time He has known when He will call Aaron Hodges home. Bill didn’t know exactly when he would die and neither do I. But I do know that even though I cannot stop that from happening, I have an assurance that nothing can destroy. I know that because I have Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, I can rest because my eternity is settled. When will it be your turn? Your turn is coming! Are you ready? Aaron Hodges

A NEW BEGINNING

A new beginning Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17 HCSB). This week marks the beginning of a new school year! On Monday, I sent three kids to school, and then today I sent one more. They were all excited about the new year ahead of them. They were somewhat nervous about their new classes but excited to see old friends and make new ones. With new things, there are always new challenges. The thing we must remember is that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit with us always. Each new challenge our students and teachers face this year will not be faced alone. Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him (Lamentations 3:22-24 HCSB). Because of the hope we have in Christ, we can rest in the fact that no matter what we face the Lord is faithful and we can put all of our hope in Him! As we kick-off this new year in choir, band, and orchestra, let's keep in mind why we do what we do and for Whom we do it. Thank you for your faithfulness and your willingness to serve Christ in the worship ministry of FBCC. Looking forward to a great start! Aaron Hodges