God's precious and magnificent promises

God's promises in 2 Peter 1:4 are described as "precious and magnificent." I cannot think of two more wonderful words to describe the promises of God.

Many things are precious to me. My wife. My children. My church. My health. My home. A quiet hour with the Lord and a cup of coffee. A good book. A family walk. Earlier this week, I got to hold baby Ethan McCullah. That was precious. I'm so grateful for the precious gifts and memories God has given me, but more precious than all these things are the promises of God.

I have also seen many things that are magnificent. The sunrise. The moon. The Milky Way Galaxy. A shooting star. Niagara Falls. The Grand Canyon. The birth of a child. A Spirit-filled sermon. A concert pianist. A fighter jet soaring across the sky. I feel so privileged to have witnessed all these things, but more magnificent than all these things are the promises of God.

What are some of God's precious and magnificent promises? J. C. Ryle considers:

There are an abundance of promises supplied by God in the Word, revealing of His character, especially His infinite mercy and compassion. There are promises regarding His willingness to forgive, pardon and absolve the chief of sinners; there are encouragements to pray and hear the gospel and draw near to the throne of grace; there are promises that he will give strength for duty, comfort in trouble, guidance in perplexity, help in sickness, consolation in death, support under bereavement, happiness beyond the grave, reward in glory. His promises are so abundant that we fail to even concieve of them. (Holiness, p. 263)

God's promises are certainly abundant. But perhaps the most precious and magnificent promise of all is this:

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

Hallelujah! Come, Lord Jesus.