May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you as He has promised you! (Deuteronomy 1:11 AMP)

My father was a man of few promises. He believed in and lived by the adage; a man is only as good as his word. A vow was something he never took lightly. If he was unsure of his ability to keep his word, he didn’t give it. He also expected us to trust his promises. If he promised to take us somewhere, we had better do whatever it took to be ready and on time. He had been known to leave without us on occasion. Was that breaking a promise? Not at all. If we believed the promise and were truly in agreement with our father, we should have made an effort to prepare for the fulfillment of it.

Most (if not all) promises we make and that are made to us come with preparation  and obedience strings attached. These “strings” prove our acceptance of the unseen, unfulfilled promise.

In Joshua chapter five, verses two through ten, God reassures the Hebrews of His promise to their forefathers and commands them to circumcise all the males as was His commandment to Abraham hundreds of years prior. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your posterity after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised (Genesis 17:10 AMP).

During their slavery in Egypt, Abraham’s descendents continued this practice. However, while they wondered in the wilderness for forty years, they failed to do so. Was it because they forsook the promise and thereby had no desire to circumcise or were no longer required to? We can only speculate on the matter since the Scripture does not explain their neglect. Nevertheless, at the given time, God reinstated the command, and all the males were circumcised as a token of their faith in God and their trust in the promise to conquer and inhabit the land of Canaan. Remember most were adults, 40 years old and under consenting to be circumcised. Painful? Yes. Humbling? Most definitely.

Circumcision, like all Old Testament God-given ordinances, is a physical foreshadow of the spiritual truth not revealed until after the resurrection of Christ. The circumcision that Jesus performs on every believer is one that cuts the old nature from the soul. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts) (Colossians 2:11 AMP). Painful? Yes. Humbling? Most definitely. Like the Hebrew males of Joshua’s day, we must submit ourselves to the LORD’s hand regardless of the pain or humility involved as a token of our faith in Him and our trust in His promises.

Faith is an amazing gift from God. We cannot conjure it up on our own accord. Did you ever consider that? But God gives us faith. The more we practice it the stronger it becomes. He offers it to all people (Romans 1:20, Ephesians 2:8, 2 Peter 3:9) a true Christmas present for anyone who will receive it. Ah, that’s the key. It’s up to each individual to receive it, to open it, to utilize it, to channel it into the correct avenues, and above all to commit to it. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we act upon our faith, and our lives are marked accordingly.

Paul reminded his readers to act out their faith in the second chapter of Philippians. He was not a foreigner to pain and humility. His enemies had beaten him and left him for dead several times, stoned him, and imprisoned him. Yet, Paul considered his suffering an honor and the mark of his dedication to Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, the apostle shifts the focus from himself to His LORD.  

Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! (Philippians 2:5-8 AMP).

This passage reveals that, in a sense, Jesus was circumcised not only as an infant on the eighth day as the law required, but before His physical birth, He willing cut Himself off from the Godhead to become a human being. That thought is not easily understood, nonetheless by faith, we accept it. We have no concept of the pain that act alone may have caused our LORD, yet He willingly humbled Himself. However, He didn’t stop there. He carried His obedience to the cross as our example of total trust and commitment to the Father’s promise.

Jesus knew the Father and trusted His word completely. In preparation for the fulfillment of the promise of salvation, Jesus carried out all that God the Father committed to Him. The promise wasn’t even for Jesus. He was not in need of salvation, but He loved His “children”—all who believe in Him.

Jesus is our ultimate example. When an example is given, we are expected to follow it. Any first grader can tell you that. If we believe that He is coming back, we will conduct ourselves according to that promise and mirror our LORD in our actions, in our speech, and in our thoughts. However, there is one major difference: the promises are for us. We have everything to gain as we prepare for His appearing.

Regardless of our circumstances, an abundance of joy awaits to be revealed and utilized as we undergo the procedures required for the realization of God’s promises. Like the Israelite males, and ultimately, like Christ who faced physical pain and humility with joy, we, too, can face whatever tomorrow holds with abundant joy, knowing God’s plan is faultless.

 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you (Philippians 1:6 AMP).

Truly trusting God’s word means we look forward to Jesus’ return, willingly follow His example, and hold fast to the hope and the joy that is in us.

Heavenly Father, what joy abounds within me when I contemplate my future in Christ. As my spirit leaps within me, my soul sings  

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the Promises of God

(Standing on the Promises by R. Kelso Carter).

Hallelujah! What joy! What peace! Thank, You, Jesus. In Your name, amen.

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