Principles, Not Promises

September 14

(Psalm 112:1-5 NIV) “Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. {2} His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. {3} Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. {4} Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. {5} Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.”

There is a difference between the principles of Scripture and the promises of Scripture. If we treat principles as if they were promises, we are in for some big disappointments in our faith. The opening verses of Psalm 112 are principles, not promises. If we do these things, life will go better. But don’t forget that down through the ages, Christians have done these things and still experienced loss, trials, and trouble beyond imagination. The principle is that if we fear God and delight in His commandments, we will be blessed. Our children will do better being raised under godly training by godly parents. We will do better financially when we handle money God’s way. Our world will be brighter when we are gracious, compassionate, and just. Good things will come our way when we are generous and fair. These are principles of God, not promises of God. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day