IRREVOCABLE: ἀμεταμέλητα

This has been one of the most awesome promises that has meant so much in my life.  The verse is Romans 11:29  "For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable."  Your bible translation may read "without repentance", which is a very accurate translation of the Greek verb used here.  Here is how this verse is stated in the Amplified Bible:

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]    - Romans 11:29

This is all such good news for you and I when we blow it, when we feel like a failure, when we wonder if we've made a wrong turn and are not sure if God's gifts or calling on our lives still hold true.  In addition to what is directly stated in this verse, character studies into lives like Moses and David are so great for building faith in God's holding true to His promises.

In a world where everything is based on our performance, or our bringing something to the table, it is so very wonderful and refreshing to have a God who will not revoke His promises.  I encourage you to take a look at the "Unconditional" promises of God that have no strings attached, no performance expectations, no loopholes or qualifiers.  Praise God for these promises that are founded and fulfilled in His good and complete character. 

The Promise that Started the Project:

I would like to share a little bit about the promise that started this project, as these are the verses that really got me fired up about studying and sharing the promises of God.

 "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."                 II Pet. 1:2-3 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

So there were three things that really hit me about these verses.  As I was meditating on what they mean one evening, the inspiration arose to begin an in-depth study of the promises of God.

1. God has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness.  You and I have been given everything that we need to live a good and godly life.  No deficiencies, no handicaps, no excuses.
2. The promises of God are "exceedingly great and precious".  Do I treat them as such?  Do I rely on them as situations arise?  Do I quote them to answer fear and doubt?  Do I share them with friends in need?  I am afraid that so many times the answer to these questions is that I do not give enough place and value to the promises of God.  These promises are truly great.  They are life-changing in so many ways.  May you and I come to see them as they are, great and precious.
3. The collection of God's promises have two stated valuable results:  allowing me to share in the divine nature, and providing me escape from the corruption that is in this world.  As God's promises take their proper place in my heart, they naturally build faith, they deepen my love for Him, they bring wisdom for daily situations, they destroy lies of the enemy, they bring about a deeper obedience.  I begin to see in many of these promises both the need for and the source of personal holiness.  God's promises to me allow me to partake of His own divine nature.  God's promises to me provide a means of escape of both the outer corruption that presses in and the inner corruption that grows from within.

So as you and I focus on God's promises, we will find that we are not wrong in making much of them.  Rather, their worth will shine through, as they change who we are.  We will take on a new personality.  They will take proper place in our hearts, as we begin to see them for what they are, "exceedingly great and precious".

Creation of a first blog:

So the idea came to me that creating a blog might be a great venue to share with friends and family and coworkers and customers and neighbors (and maybe even a few strangers) about a project that I began working on almost 2 years ago.  I have called this blog and the 2-year study prior to it the "Promise Project", and the project has become a very important part of my life.  This blog is what I believe will begin the next phase of the project, and I am excited to see what it will become, and where the Lord will have it go.  I would like to thank you for coming to this blog, and invite you to check out the posts and other comments.  More importantly, I want to come out up-front saying that much of the information in this project is my interpretation of Scripture, and this influences how I am posting much of the information.  I invite you to challenge me in this.  It is my heart to create a community where people are focusing on, analyzing, and comparing their understanding of the promises of God.  These some 2500 promises catalogued from the Bible are truly amazing and life changing.  I would like to invite you to join me in "making much of the promises of God."  You and I will be changed!