Anchored in the Promise, Not the Performance

Receiving what God promised, not earning what cannot be earned

Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace, Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra draws our hearts back to a central truth: the promises of God are not overridden by the law. Long before the law was given through Moses, God had already made a covenant promise to Abraham and to his Seed, Christ. That promise wasn’t just a shadow or a hint. It was the foundation of the grace we now stand in.

The law came 430 years later, but it never replaced or canceled the promise. The law was never meant to be the vehicle through which God would deliver His inheritance. Instead, it revealed our inability and prepared the way for us to receive what only Christ could secure. The inheritance was never contingent upon man’s ability to obey. It was always about God’s ability to fulfill His word.

God’s covenant with Abraham was a promise of grace. And that promise, fulfilled in Jesus, still stands unshaken today. The law shows us how far we fall short, but the promise reminds us how fully God supplies. What He began by promise, He completes by grace.

For those of us who walk by faith, we do not strive to earn an inheritance through performance. We rest in the unfailing promises given in Jesus, knowing that our part is not to uphold a law we could never keep, but to trust a Savior who could never fail.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I gave the promise before the law. The covenant I made with Abraham stands secure because it was confirmed in Christ, My Son. The law, given centuries later, never replaced what I had already spoken. I do not contradict Myself. I fulfill what I promise.

You are not called to live under the pressure of performance. I never intended for you to inherit by works. The inheritance was always meant to come through promise. That promise is fulfilled in Christ, who is your life. He is the Seed to whom all My faithfulness was directed, and you are now hidden in Him.

Do not let the law, though holy and good, become a measuring rod for your acceptance or progress. I never placed that burden on you. I gave it to reveal sin and to prepare hearts for grace. Now that grace has come, walk by faith in the One who accomplished all.

Let your confidence rest not in your effort but in My promise. Trust that I am faithful. I will complete the work I began. Just as Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness, so your faith in My Son secures your place in My family. I did not promise based on your merit. I promised based on My mercy.

Scripture References: Galatians 3:16-18, Romans 4:13-16, Hebrews 6:13-20, Genesis 15:1-6, Romans 10:4, Ephesians 1:11-14, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Romans 3:20-24, Philippians 1:6

Real-Life Analogy

Imagine you’ve been given a deed to a beautiful home, fully paid for by someone else. You’re told it’s yours. Yet, instead of resting in that gift, you show up every day trying to mow the lawn of the seller, wash their windows, and prove you deserve the house. They gently remind you, “This was never about what you could do for me. I gave it because I love you.”

In the same way, the Father’s promise in Christ is your spiritual inheritance. You didn’t earn it, and you can’t maintain it by effort. You receive it by faith. So today, as you walk through work, traffic, conversation, or even your quiet moments, you can whisper, “Lord, I receive this moment as one who is already fully Yours. I trust You to live in me and through me, responding with grace instead of effort.”

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that Your promise stands. No law, no failure, no accusation can undo what You have secured in Christ. I rest in the inheritance that comes not by striving but by Your mercy. Today I live, not as a performer trying to earn a place, but as a child resting in a promise. You are faithful. You will do it.