July 27

Morning

Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. — 2 Pet 1:4 BSB

If you want to personally experience the preciousness of God’s promises and feel their power in your own heart, spend much time meditating on them. Some promises are like grapes in a winepress—if you tread on them, the juice will flow. Reflecting on the sacred words of God often precedes their fulfillment. As you meditate on them, the blessings you seek may quietly seep into your soul. Many Christians have found that as they pondered the promises, the grace they longed for began to gently settle in their hearts, and they rejoiced at having drawn near to the promises of God.

But beyond meditation, receive the promises as the very words of God. Say to your soul, “If I were dealing with a human promise, I would carefully consider the ability and character of the person making it. So too with God’s promises—my focus should not be on the greatness of the blessing itself, which might overwhelm me, but on the greatness of the One who made the promise, which will encourage me. My soul, it is God—your God—who cannot lie, who is speaking to you! This promise is as certain as God’s very existence. He is unchanging. He has never revoked a single comforting word. Nor does He lack power; it is the God who made the heavens and the earth who speaks to you. He will not fail in wisdom, knowing when it is best to give and when it is best to withhold. So, because this is the Word of a God so true, so unchangeable, so powerful, and so wise—I must believe the promise.”

By meditating on God’s promises and considering the Promiser, we will experience their sweetness and see them fulfilled in our lives.

Evening

Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. — Rom 8:33 BSB

What a blessed challenge this is! And how unanswerable! Every sin of the elect was laid upon the great Champion of our salvation, and through His atonement, our sins were carried away. There is no longer any sin recorded in God’s book against His people—He sees no sin in Jacob, no iniquity in Israel. They are justified in Christ forever! When the guilt of sin was removed, so was its punishment. For the believer, there is no punishment from God’s hand—no, not even a single frown of divine judgment. The believer may be disciplined by the Father, but God, the Judge, has nothing to say to them but, “I have absolved you—you are acquitted.”

For the Christian, there is no penalty of death in this life, and certainly not in the life to come. The believer is freed from the punishment and guilt of sin, and even the power of sin is broken. Though sin may continue to harass us and wage war against us, it is a defeated foe for all who are united with Jesus.

There is no sin that a Christian cannot overcome if they rely on God for the strength to do so. Those who wear white robes in heaven overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and we can do the same. No lust is too strong, no besetting sin too entrenched—through Christ’s power, we can conquer. Believe it, Christian—your sin is a condemned thing. It may struggle and kick, but it is destined to die. God has written its condemnation; Christ has crucified it, “nailing it to His cross.” Now go and put it to death, and may the Lord help you live for His glory, for sin, with all its guilt, shame, and fear, is gone!

“Here’s pardon for transgressions past,
It matters not how black their cast;
And, O my soul, with wonder view,
For sins to come—here’s pardon too!”