Advocate

Suppose you were pleading your case in a court of law. You would want to enlist the services of the most qualified attorney or advocate you could trust. You would want them to learn everything they could about your case and related laws. How much more confidence would it give you if they had experienced all that you went through and felt the suffering that you did?

Hebrews 7:25 says, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus is always seated at the right hand of the Father making requests for each of us who trust in Him. Jesus is the perfect advocate and intercessor for us because He has suffered in every way that we have and knows every weakness that we can possess. So when He speaks to the Father on our behalf, He speaks with complete knowledge and empathy. He speaks with the full authority and power of the Son of God.

Popular Opinion

Politicians listen to the voices of their constituents and political polls, but often only the voices that agree with their ideologies. Celebrities are constantly seeking the attention of fans, doing what pleases the throngs of admirers. Social media influencers go to extremes to find and please followers.

John 19:12 says, “From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.'” At the trial of Jesus, Pilate yielded to the desire of the crowd and condemned Jesus, even though he knew that Jesus was innocent. Yielding to popular opinion can lead us far from truth and God’s will. We are in great danger when we seek to please people rather than God.

Practice Makes…

To consistently make good decisions and do good things we need to practice these behaviors. When we were small we practiced riding a bike until we gained confidence and consistently rode the bike under control. Later in life we learned some computer skills and practiced them over time to become proficient.

Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Just like most things, we must practice distinguishing right from wrong in order to improve the choices that we make. Over time we will become proficient at identifying wisdom and practicing righteousness in the power of God’s Spirit.

Comfort

Our lives are so chaotic and stressful at times that we seek comfort in a variety of ways. In fact, there is even a food category called comfort food. Some seek comfort in solitude, while other people seek comfort in the company of many people. Some people seek comfort in hobbies and activities. Other people seek comfort in less desirable ways, like consuming drugs or alcohol.

Psalm 119:76 says, “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. “We shouldn’t just go through our day blindly doing routine things. We should take time to remember God’s steadfast love for us and find comfort in His abundant love for His children. God protects and provides for His children, as any good parent would do, but does so with a abundant love that is His alone.

Levels of Promises

From my experience, promises come with different levels of fulfillment. A casual promise is an expression of the intent to do something, but may or may not come with the actual implementation of the promise. Then there is the contractual promise that guarantees implementation of action or legal consequences ensue. We also have promises based upon the integrity of the promiser. We trust this person to follow through on what they said they would do. Our trust is based upon knowledge of the promiser’s integrity and is probably based upon prior experience with the guarantor.

Romans 4:16 says, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring, not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” Faith means trusting in another, not in one’s own efforts. Faith therefore corresponds exactly to grace, which involves trusting God’s gift of unmerited favor. We can trust God to fulfill His promises because He is always faithful to His Word and to His promises, and because He cannot lie. Since it is fully within His ability to deliver on His promises and He is full of grace when delivering on His promises, we know that He will do what He says He will do. Therefore, we can have faith in Him and His promises.