From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part three of a series. Read part two.

Editor's Note: As we noted in introducing the previous installment of this series, the study of the promises of God to His people is one of the most profitable of all studies of the Word. By this means, as Arthur Pink puts it below, we make them our own. Dear Christian reader, are you truly acquainted with the riches of God's promises - their height, width, depth, and breadth? I think we must all honestly confess that this is an area of our walk with the Lord in which we are all lacking, and have much to gain. May we resolve not to remain in such an unnecessary state of poverty! - Dr. Paul Elliott

We profit from the Word when we labor to make our own the promises of God. To do this we must first take the trouble to become really acquainted with them. It is surprising how many promises there are in Scripture which the saints know nothing about, the more so seeing that they are the peculiar treasure of believers, the substance of faith's heritage lying in them.

True, Christians are already the recipients of wondrous blessings, yet the capital of their wealth, the bulk of their estate, is only prospective. They have already received an "earnest" (2 Corinthians 1:22), but the better part of what Christ has purchased for them lies yet in the promise of God. How diligent, then, should they be in studying His testamentary will, familiarizing themselves with the good things which the Spirit "hath revealed" (1 Corinthians 2:10), and seeking to take an inventory of their spiritual treasures.

Not only must I search the Scriptures to find out what has been made over to me by the everlasting covenant, but I need also to meditate upon the promises, to turn them over and over in my mind, and cry unto the Lord for spiritual understanding of them. The bee would not extract any honey from the flowers as long as he only gazed upon them. Nor will the Christian derive any real comfort and strength from the Divine promises until his faith lays hold of and penetrates to the heart of them.

God has given no assurance that the dilatory [i.e., one who is inclined to delay, being slow in doing things] shall be fed, but He has declared, "the soul of the diligent shall be made fat" (Proverbs 13:4). Therefore did Christ say, "Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endureth until everlasting life" (John 6:27). It is only as the promises are stored up in our minds that the Spirit brings them to remembrance at those fainting seasons when we most need them.

Next: The Spiritual Profit In Understanding the Blessed Scope of God's Promises

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