God provides for the Past, Present and the Future...

In 2 Corinthians 1:10 the scriptures state: "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver; In whom we trust that He will yet deliver us."

Salvation like grammar, has three (3) tenses - the past, the present, and the future. The One who has become our all-sufficient savior must contend with all three. In his letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul assures us that Jesus has delivered us from the Past, does deliver us in the present, and will deliver us in the future.

In the first instance [PAST], deliverance from the penalty of past sin is an accomplished fact once we believe and accept the conditions of Repentance, Baptism, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost - followed by obedience to God's word.

In the second instance [PRESENT], daily deliverance from the power of sin is ours. I Corinthians 15:57 states: "God be thanked who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ".

In the third instance [FUTURE], we learn that Jesus will deliver us fully out of the hand of the evil one. I John 3:2 States: "When He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."

These mortal bodies we are in now shall be changed for "This mortal must put on immortality" -

I Corinthians 15:53. This is God's full and final deliverance from the effects of all sin. Our future, as well as our past and present, is in good keeping when we trust everything to the Lord.

A brief prayer:

"Lord, we often forget the promises you have given us in your word. We often become discouraged by our circumstances when we look too closely at them, and not closely enough at those promises. From this day forth, help us to believe your word with all our hearts, to trust our present and future to you, and so let the peace that passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Amen.