Guaranteed Promises

“I know the glue on the other windows didn’t hold, but I ordered this entire unit directly from the factory. I guarantee the hinges will not fall apart.”

I really was growing weary of going back to the car dealership every few weeks. The hinges on the vent windows of our Chevette kept coming unglued. I was sure it was a problem deeper than just the glue, but the service manager insisted he could fix it. We’d even had two windows blow away, shattering on the road in our rear view mirror. As much as I wanted to trust his guarantee, I was leery. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I showed up for another “guaranteed” fix.

There was a commercial on TV a few years ago in which the president of a men’s clothing company was the chief spokesman. He ended each ad with the comment: “You’ll love the way you look. I guarantee it.” When you took into account the fine quality of his clothing and his promise to fit each customer with the right style, it sounded plausible. He could turn any rough-around-the-edges fellow into a svelte man-about-town.

Now no one would challenge the clothing company to deliver on their guarantee. But we do challenge some companies to back up their guarantees when their products fall apart or don’t work the way they were promised. That’s not personal. It’s business.

There are those who hear the words “guarantee” and are determined to prove it won’t be true. These are in response to comments of “I guarantee you’re really going to enjoy this trip” or “I guarantee you won’t regret seeing this movie.” Of course there isn’t a “money back guarantee” attached to these because there is bound to be someone who is “guaranteed” to be hard to please.

God doesn’t use the word “guarantee” very often in scripture. In the Old Testament it was in reference to Judah’s promise to bring back his brother Benjamin safely, a guarantee that as a human he had trouble backing up.

In the New Testament it’s used in reference to faith and the Holy Spirit. “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory”(Ephesians 1:13-14).

This guarantee comes from God Himself. It’s a seal, a promise, an assurance. It doesn’t depend on any human backing. Thank goodness for that! Because of His grace alone we don’t have to worry about somehow losing our certificate in a pile of papers that’s thrown out.

No. My loving Lord Jesus has marked me as His own. Nothing can snatch me away. Nothing can blow me away onto the highway of life, shattered with all of my hopes and dreams.

No. Wearing my robe of righteousness, courtesy of my Lord Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, standing before the throne, I’ll hear the Father’s voice… “I love the way you look! Because I guaranteed it!”

Leaving my guilt at the cross,

Christine