NO MORE POTIONS

     He had been dreading this day for some time now and while he had secretly hoped it would never come, it had. With all the complaints he had been receiving, Bill Peterson knew he needed to confront his son Harold about all of these potions he had been making. “I just hope I can convince him not to make anymore potions, Robert.” Bill said as he hung up the phone.

     “WHAT!” Came a shout from behind him. “And I was making another potion just for him.” It was Harold. “Don’t tell me your making another potion.” Bill said as he looked over Harold. “Why?” Harold asked, “Is there something wrong with that?” “Harold!” Bill said, “Stop and think for a moment.” After a short pause, Harold looked at his dad and asked “What am I to think about?”

     “What all of your potions have done.” Bill said. “Okay, let me think.” Harold said and then asked “How do you think?” “Never mind, Harold.” Bill said, “Just try and remember what your potions have done so far.” “Well,” Harold said thoughtfully, “The first one didn’t do any thing. The science lab blew up before I could finish it.”

     “Right.” Bill said, “You blew up the science lab. And don’t forget how the next one gave everybody itchy freckles.” “Oh, yeah.” Harold giggled, “That was funny. I don’t think I'd ever seen so many spots.” “And your last one almost killed your grandpa.” Bill added. “I guess that wasn’t so funny.” Harold said rather somber like. “Something must have went wrong when I mixed the formula together.”

     “What did you put in that one anyways?” Bill asked. “Sorry, Dad.” Harold grinned, “A good scientist never reveals his secrets.” “You’re not a good scientist.” Bill said. “I will be after I make this next potion.” Harold piped in excitedly. “No, Harold.” Bill said, “Every potion you have made has caused problems.” “So?” Harold said as if that was not a problem.

     “Would you please stop trying to make them?” Bill said, “The whole town is complaining about them.” “I suppose I could.” Harold said with a sigh. “Promise?” Bill asked. After a long pause, Harold finally said “I Promise. No more potions.” “Good.” Bill said, “I'll let your grandpa know and everyone else.”

     “I guess the world didn’t need my newest potion anyway.” Harold said. “What was your newest potion going to be?” Bill asked. “Oh, it was just suppose to give adults the energy of a three and four year old.” Harold said. When Bill heard that he wondered if he had stopped Harold too soon. “Um, Harold,” He said, “Maybe you could finish just this one.” “Sorry!” Harold said with a smile, “I promised and a promise is a promise. Well, I better go get rid of all my stuff before somebody finds it all.”

      Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." - 2 Peter 3:3-4 (ESV)

     Has everything really gone on the same since the beginning of creation? Many people, especially evolutionists, believe in uniformitarianism, the idea that what is happening now is how things have always happened and always will. They purposely forget God's word and what it says and the promise that God made there in.

     For God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. … In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. Then God said to Noah, "Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. … I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. - Genesis 8:1-9:17 (ESV)

     As Joshua is coming to the end of his life he says “It’s almost time for me to die. You know and fully believe that the LORD has done great things for you. You know that he has not failed to keep any of his promises. Joshua 23:14 (NCV) God keeps His promises and when you look at the promises God made after the flood you can look around yourself and see that each promise has been kept

     Knowing that God has kept His promises in the past and continues to keep them today let's us know that He will keep His promises in the future for He has promised that next time the destruction of the earth will be even greater and not by water.

     Here''s Something To Ponder

• What promises has God made to you?
• How well do you do at keeping your promises to Him?