Presupposing Conditions

The Word is first...

Psalm 37:5 (NIV)

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

We need only look around us at the world in which we live to know that God loves us. Living on a blue marble suspended in the vast emptiness of space, warmed by the Sun and cooled by the breeze, we can easily see the delicate balance of creation that sustains us. As we look beyond the boundaries of our own atmosphere across incomprehensible distances to the next-nearest star we see the marvels of the galaxies, each imprinted with the signature of the same God who carefully and purposefully knitted us together in the warm, moist wombs of our mothers. Truly, it is a marvel and a testimony to the power of God.

How is it that we can examine the physical world and know that God is real yet not believe that he has great treasures and gifts that await us? If we can accept the account of creation, if we can accept the sacrifice of Christ that reconciles us to God, why do we find it so hard to accept everything that is written between those two points? It is with this thought in mind that I approach the study verse for today.

I believe what the Bible says. And what the Bible says is that if I will meet the requirements put forth by God I will know His grace in profound ways. The limitless depths of his grace are poured out into my life not because I have earned them but because I love Him and He loves me.

My love for God is manifested in the application of my belief in what He has said and made known to me. He said that I am made in his image. He said that He loves me. He said that I was a sinner. He said that there was a penalty to be paid for my sinfulness. He said that there had to be a sacrifice to atone for my sins. He said that He would provide the sacrifice. He said that if I believed in His Son that I would not be lost but would enjoy communion with Him forever. He said that it is finished.

He also said that if I would surrender my life over to Him, if I would live for Him, that he would bless me in this life, right now. Though there are numerous places in scripture where this truth is repeated, there are three that come immediately to my mind. Each of these promises are accompanied by presupposing conditions that if met, unlock the potential for the fulfillment of the promise in my present life.

First...
Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

The Promise: You will be prosperous and successful.
The Presupposing Condition: that I would hold tightly to the Word of God, that I would dwell on it, contemplate it and mull it over all the time. That in so doing, I would be attuned to the will of God and carry out its' instructions to me.

Second...
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

^a Or will direct your paths

The Promise: He will make your paths straight.
The Presupposing Condition: That I would totally, without hesitation, without reservation, depend on God. That I would lay aside my Earthly logic and my prideful insistence that things make sense to me. That in everything I do, I would give Him the credit that is His due.

Third...
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^a act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

^a Or reasonable

The Promise: That your mind would be renewed. That you would be attuned to the will of God with the ability to discern the truth.
The Presupposing Condition: To offer your body as a vessel of noble purpose for His service. To lay aside the cravings of your flesh that his temple, your body, would be holy. To eschew the things the world says are right, to break the mold of sinful indulgence and to willingly yield to the transformative power of God's Holy Spirit.

Now the truth is that at this moment, I am being overwhelmed by the remembrances of His promises and the accompanying presupposing conditions that are throughout His Word. And though I should like to list each and every one, though I would endeavor to expound upon them for your edification and benefit, I know that I can do no better a job than has been done. So, it is with that understanding that I direct you to your own copy of His Word. It is with the promise of riches that I encourage you to mine God's Word and to extract every precious jewel that is hidden therein.

Live your life in the freedom of the knowledge of the certainty with which God says "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this..."

In His Grip,
Carl