I am not someone who really likes things watered down. I grew up on whole milk on a farm. I made a concession when we started buying “store bought,” pasteurized and homogenized whole milk. It was easy for me to make the change to 2% when I realized some of the health benefits. But, when skim came along and then 1% (half of what I considered to be “not much”) I found myself saying, there is a line on the watering down that I can take. This crosses that line. It is just too watered down to be considered milk. I would rather just drink water, thanks. That is true with about anything. I don’t put six cans of water to a can of concentrated lemonade to make it “stretch further.” I would rather enjoy the experience of drinking lemonade rather than “water with a splash of lemon.”
The gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful largely because it is not watered down. God promises and fulfills the promises. As a result, God’s promises are powerful, unadulterated, fulfilled and expectations that deliver. That is how God works. When I became a Christian, I could not believe that a change could be so instant and complete. Sin was gone. Life came. Orientation had shifted. Conviction of a new kind was here to stay. Peace was penetratingly ever-present. Joy and hope had substance. All of this followed a very simple prayer. And, the promises kept being fulfilled as the years rolled along. Blessings untold and a love filled life that met the most arduous challenges. Faith that would not be shattered or even dented by loss, death, disappointment or rejection.
The promises of God are many. And he fulfills them all. “Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true” (Joshua 21:45). I feel that way about my service of the Lord. When David was held in Gath, an enemy to the Philistines and an exile to Israel, he pressed in hard to the promises of God. He said, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4). He restates the refrain about seven verses later. His trust is predicated on the promises of God. They are powerful, undiluted promises that had been frequently fulfilled with not only regularity, but powerful deliverance. As a result, trust was bolstered and fear was assuaged. The fulfilled promise was the hinge-pin that trust and confidence and peace turned on.
But, just as powerful as promises can be, diluted and unfulfilled promises leaves one disillusioned, cold, unconvinced and cynical. Better to have not promised at all, than to promise and not follow-through. That is a good adage to live by. Perhaps that is why we are cautioned against making vows, oaths and doing much beyond the yes and no. We can dilute a promise into something insidious and dangerous. Words become worth very little when that happens.
But, not so with God. He promises and fulfills. That is why we claim his promises. They are true. We should live according to them.