“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:11, CSB)
There are two sides to God’s amazing grace. There is the encounter side of grace where God forgives us even though we don’t deserve it. And there is the keep side of grace as we walk out our new life in Christ. Today’s promise is on the keep side of grace.
Consider this, “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, CSB)
Does this mean that we’ll never have a bad day? Or that we will never suffer? No. If that was the case, then Stephan wouldn’t have been stoned to death in Acts 7:54-60. It means that God protects and keeps our faith in Him. The work He began in us will carry on to completion.
I know there is a bit of a divide in how this is viewed among the faithful. The promise is true in both camps. Jesus is the alpha and omega, the beginner and finisher of our faith in Him. See Hebrews 12:2.
The promise is this – if you are His, God will do everything to keep and protect you so that you, like Stephen, hold your faith through that last breath and into His glory. God doesn’t just plant a seed of faith in our hearts when we accept Christ, He is like a gardener patiently tending to the plant maturing from that seed.
Other verses for this promise (Compiled by David Wilkerson)
- 2 Thessalonians 3:3
- John 10:29
- 2 Corinthians 1:22
- 1 Corinthians 1:8
- Philippians 1:6
- Romans 8:38-39
- Provers 10:25
- Psalms 94:18
- 1 Peter 1:5
- Jude 24
- 2 Peter 1:10
- 1 John 5:18
- Revelation 21:3
- Jeremiah 30:22
- 2 Corinthians 6:16
- Hebrews 11:16
- Isaiah 40:11
- Psalm 138:7
- Proverbs 3:26
- Psalm 34:7
- Psalm 16:8
- Psalm 121:4-5
- Psalm 32:7
- Promises: Keep and Protect - October 16, 2024
- Promises: Answered Prayer - October 14, 2024
- Promises: God’s Presence - October 9, 2024
