Hold God Accountable!

Daily Devotional – Friday, July 2, 2021

…by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…

2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV)

Have you ever promised a child something then failed to deliver? You will have no peace until you honour your promise. Adults are not different. We expect those who make promises to keep their word. If they fail, we begin to lose trust in them.

The idea of holding people accountable also applies to God and His promises. According to 2 Peter 1:4, we have been given “…exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…”

Let us put this into context. God created man in His own image. However, sin blemished God’s perfect character when Adam sinned in Eden. The plan of salvation seeks to restore the image of God fully in man. The promises of God play a critical role in this regard, according to Peter.

How? Most of God’s promises are conditional. They have an ‘if’. This ‘if’ is your obligation for you to benefit from the promise (Read Deuteronomy 28).

Here are a few examples:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land…” (Isaiah 1:19).

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do…” (John 14:13).

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33+

Note that as we, by the grace of God, strive to meet our obligation (the ‘if’), our characters changes to reflect that of Christ. In essence, we gradually become ‘partakers of the divine nature.”

We must start holding God accountable to His promises, including this one:

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do?” (Numbers 23:19).

Some scholars say the Bible contains over 8,000 promises made by God in the Bible. How many of these promises do you know? How many have you claimed?

Do you want to hold God accountable to His promises? Fulfil your part and watch Him do His.

Father, I know You keep your side of the promise. By Your grace, help me to do my part.