Every Promise has a Premise

By: Kim Garrett

Saturday, February 1, 2025

If they obey and serve Him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. Job 36:11

If they... (then) they will... When we see "if they" written, the writer is usually expressing a relationship between two actions. The Bible is full of conditional promises between God and His people; if you do this, then God will do that (fulfill His promise). Another way to express that concept is: with every promise, there is a premise. We see an example of a conditional promise in our verse from Job. But Job 36:11 says those promises are conditional, and the promise is only valid for those who obey and serve God.

Job was God's faithful servant, consistently loving and serving Him over many years. But thanks to Satan, everything Job had was removed without warning. He lost his property, his wealth, and even his children! Job's close friends console him by reminding him of God's promises. Believers and unbelievers are both drawn to the promises in God's Word. I'm sure everyone wants to spend the rest of their days in prosperity and contentment, but that lifestyle comes with a premise; we must first align our priorities and willfully obey God's commandments. Second, we must serve Him by staying in His will.

Unfortunately, when some read a premise to one of God's promises, the thought "I want this" dwindles and fades away. It's those God-set premises that stop many from drawing closer to God. God's premises may even keep some of them from pursuing a personal relationship with Jesus. It's sad, but many people walk away from God because they fear the loss of self-control. They just want God's promise without submitting to His premise.

But those who passionately pursue what pleases God rise to the higher calling of His premises. When we submit ourselves to God, we are rewarded with unprecedented joy and indescribable peace. As Christ followers, we can find contentment in everything we do by loving God and serving Him with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving.

An authentic love for God breeds the natural response to obey Him while serving others. Yes, God promises prosperity and contentment will follow, but sometimes Christ followers can be unaware of both. Why? They're too busy loving and serving the One whom they adore!