Trust Over Terms: Why God’s Promises Are Never Earned
Just as a child receives a treehouse as a gift of love, we receive God’s promises through trust, not performance.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra brings us back to Abraham, the man God called righteous not because of what he did but because of whom he trusted. The heart of the message is this: God’s promises are never bound by law-keeping. They are given freely and received through faith. Even before circumcision, before Mount Sinai, and long before the law, Abraham believed, and that belief alone was counted as righteousness.
When God promised Abraham that he would be heir of the world, He was not setting up a contract that hinged on Abraham’s performance. God was unveiling a covenant of grace that would rest entirely on trust. Paul highlights in Romans that if these promises were tied to the law, then faith would become empty and the promises void. God’s way was clear from the beginning. Righteousness came through faith, not law. And that pattern holds true for us today.
What becomes clear is that faith and law are mutually exclusive when it comes to inheritance. If receiving from God depended on our ability to follow rules, we would forfeit the entire basis of grace. Any attempt to earn the promise undermines its very nature. Grace cannot be achieved. It can only be received.
God wants us to trust Him like Abraham did. He wants us to rest in the certainty that He will do what He says, not because we followed a checklist, but because we believed His heart. Righteousness flows from trust, and trust opens the door to experience every good thing God has promised.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, I did not draw you into My promises by demanding your perfection. I drew you by offering Myself. You were never expected to earn your place. You were invited to believe. Just as Abraham believed Me and I credited it to him as righteousness, so have I counted you righteous by faith in My Son.
The law could never give you what grace already has. You are not bound by rules but freed by relationship. The law made demands. Grace makes you Mine. You now stand where Abraham stood, not because you obeyed perfectly, but because you trusted the One who cannot lie.
Do not return to the mindset of earning what I have freely given. That is not the path of life. My promises are yours because you are in Jesus. He fulfilled what you could not. And now, through Him, you walk as one who inherits, not one who strives.
So come with confidence. Let your soul rest. I have promised, and I will do it.
Scripture References: Romans 4:3, Romans 4:11, Romans 4:13–14, Genesis 28:14, Galatians 3:7–9, Galatians 3:18, Ephesians 2:8–9, Hebrews 10:23, Titus 1:2
Real-Life Analogy
Picture a child being handed the keys to a treehouse that his father built for him. The father never said, “Clean your room first” or “Bring me your report card.” He simply said, “This is for you because you’re mine.” The child may try to earn it, but the gift was already settled. It was built on love, not performance.
God’s promises are like that. They are given, not negotiated. If we try to turn them into a transaction, we miss the beauty of His heart. He has already spoken. He has already sealed His Word in Jesus. All He asks is that we trust Him.
So today, if you're tempted to question whether you’ve done enough to receive what God has promised, pause and remember the foundation. Whisper to Him, “Lord, I trust You to fulfill Your promises in me and through me in this moment, not because I have earned them, but because You are faithful.” Let grace be the place from which you walk, work, and worship.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that I do not need to qualify for Your promises. You already qualified me in Jesus. I rest in Your righteousness, not mine. I rejoice that faith is the doorway to every good gift You’ve offered. You are not withholding. You are inviting.
I receive what You have declared. You are faithful, and You will do it. I trust Your heart, Your timing, and Your grace. Let me walk today with confidence, knowing I am not earning but enjoying the fullness of what is already mine in You.