Let us move beyond the basics of our covenant relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ into a joyful relationship of love with Him.
KEY POINTS
- A question often asked is: “Is the cup half full or half empty?” The answer we give is intended to show whether we are optimists or pessimists by nature and whether our outlook on the world is positive or negative. Of course, the very same applies to our view of our church.
- What is it that we see?
- As Sis. Verona admonished us at our Watchnight service, there are many things from 2016 we need to let go of and forget. Yet, for some, there are phenomenal challenges that lie ahead in 2017.
- As a church, we have seen people we love walk away from Jesus Christ. The cares of life, the love of the world, weakness in the face of temptation and the pursuit of money have derailed many.
- The desire for a spouse (saved or unsaved), the desire for popularity at school, on the job or in the neighbourhood has derailed others. Some have simply felt it is too hard to live for Christ, or that the church demands too much of them.
- No doubt there are many other reasons and excuses people have used to justify their decisions, but in the end, the result is the same: many have lost their faith in Christ and walked away. We pray for God’s mercy in their lives.
- We do not walk this Christian path alone. It is our sacred duty to be a light to someone else, to lend a hand, to lend an ear, and to display our Christian character through our service to others. We must be stepping stones to help others achieve their God-given destiny; never stumbling blocks in their path.
- When we read the Abrahamic covenant and its institution, we see that God came to Abraham in a vision and personally initiated the covenant by moving between the cut pieces of the animal sacrifice in Genesis 15. Then in chapter 17 it was Abraham’s turn to show his faith in the God of the covenant by circumcising all the males in his household.
- Moses was on his way back to Egypt to deliver God’s people when he was nearly killed by God (Exodus 4:24-25). He had been disobedient to God by not circumcising his son, but his wife Zipporah saved her husband’s life when she got a flint knife and circumcised their son.
- God’s covenant with us is very important to Him, and our acknowledgement and faithful response to it is also very important to Him. For us, His covenant is both life-giving and life-saving.
- But this is only the beginning.
- It is an incredible, God-ordained, God-sanctioned, God-blessed beginning, but it is only the beginning. Our Lord definitely wants us to be covenant keepers, but He wants us to move from simply being in covenant with Him to being in love with Him!
- Rather than simply being “Covenant Christians”, He wants us to relate to Him in the same way spouses relate to each other in a healthy marriage: flesh of flesh and bone of bone. One in spirit, one in purpose, one in mission, one in faith, one in hope, one in love.
- The vast majority of those who faithfully attend Faith Sanctuary and consider it their spiritual home are already covenant Christians.
- Some are pushing and striving to build, establish and enhance their love relationship with Jesus.
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