The Most Underrated Promise Of Jesus

Psalm 119:148 "My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises." (Later mentioning Matthew 28:20)

This past July somebody hit my car. I was at Sandy Beach here in Lake Mills, and the parking lot was full, but way up toward the front, a guy was packing up his SUV and getting ready to leave, so I pulled up behind him and waited. There was plenty of room for him to back out, and I wasn't in any hurry, so I just sat there a few spaces away and waited. He started to back out toward me and got closer and closer and finally hit the front of my car. I don't think he ever looked to see where he was going. He jumped out of his vehicle and ran over to me saying over and over again, "that was totally my fault." And it was. I was pretty annoyed but didn't say anything. It could have been worse - instead of hitting me, he could have driven over a little kid. Do you know what the cause of that accident was? He was not focusing on what he should have been. I don't know what he was focusing on as he backed up his SUV, but his eyes were not on the right thing.

God wants us as Christians to have our eyes on the right things as we go to school, as we do whatever we do outside of school. There are a lot of things to think about and focus on when you're a teenager, but the number one thing God wants you to put your eyes on is his Word. As the writer of the Psalms says, "My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may mediate on your promises." Keep your eyes on the promises of God - don't let them out of your sight, and you will be blessed.

There is one promise Jesus gives us that's an easy one to forget, but we shouldn't forget it, and it's this one - "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Have you ever taken a little time to really think about what that promise means? Jesus says that he is with you, always. There is never a moment in your life when you are really alone. When you're on the way to school, in the bus or in a car, Jesus is with you. When you are in a classroom, or a hallway, or the cafeteria - Jesus is with you. After school, when you're practicing in a sport, or heading off to a part time job, or just going home on the bus - Jesus is with you. When you're alone at home because your parents aren't home from work yet, Jesus is with you there too. This is a promise that Jesus makes to you, and it comes true every single day, even right now as you sit in homeroom and listen to this devotion, Jesus is with you.

This promise is bad news if you want to sin. Every sin we commit, whether it's cheating or lying or gossiping or anything else - every sin we commit takes place in the presence of Jesus because he is with us always. We're never alone when we sin, because Jesus is right there, watching us do it.

The good news is that this Jesus who promises to be with us always also promises to forgive us for all of our sins. "I will forgive your wickedness and remember your sins no more." Jesus doesn't abandon you when you sin. Instead, he forgives you. He tells you to go and sin no more. He stands next to you, and gives you the strength to stop sinning. "I am with you always," Jesus says.

Sometimes, when you're going to school, you feel alone. Maybe you have friends, but all your friendships are pretty shallow - you have to be fake around people to make them like you. You can never really be yourself. But you can be yourself around Jesus. He is with you, and he really knows you, better than your friends or parents know you, even better than you know yourself. Every day, he promises to be with you and bless you. Keep focused on that promise today, and you will be blessed. Let's pray.

Dear Lord Jesus, you promise to be with us always, to the very end of the age. Thank you for keeping this promise to us every single day. Help me to face each day with joy and confidence, because I know that you are with me and will bless me. Amen.