New Covenant – Part II

Yesterday, we began discussing covenant. Jeremiah had prophesied that God would make a new covenant with his people. Today, we see what that covenant was going to be. God’s people are those who choose to follow his Son, rather than just Israel and Judah.

Does the covenant mentioned in today’s passage look familiar? Does it look like the teaching of Jesus? How has God written his law on your heart? Have you learned from God? Do you accept his forgiveness? Are you grateful for his amazing grace?

We may not think that God has written his law on our heart, but he did when he gave us his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit interacts with our spirit and teaches us right and wrong. We often call it our conscience. But it is more than that. For the Holy Spirit also interprets God’s Word for us. He also intercedes for us in prayer when we don’t know what to pray because he knows our inner most thoughts, struggles, and needs.

Jeremiah prophesied that God would forgive our iniquity. We often disobey and need forgiveness. God said long ago that he would forgive us. Not because we deserve it but because God loves us and wants us to be with him. Through our wrongdoing and forgiveness, God continues to teach us. We continue to progress in maturity, growing to be more like Jesus. This demonstrates God’s amazing love and grace for us.

I pray we all accept God’s new covenant. I pray we listen to the Holy Spirit as he speaks to our spirit. I pray each one of us know that God loves us and covers us with his amazing grace. Accept God’s covenant. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Know you are forgiven. Know that God loves you. You are covered by God’s amazing grace.

Jeremiah 31:33-34 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

New Covenant – Part I

What does the word covenant mean to you? Do you think of it as a handshake and a promise? Do you think of it as a contract? Will you honor a covenant, promise, or contract you make with someone else? Will you honor the covenant God has made and you agreed to?

Covenant is a word we don’t use much anymore. In many ways it is like a contract. In other ways, it is like a handshake and a promise. When we are talking about God’s covenant, God is giving us far more than we are giving him. Yet, we often fail to honor his covenant with us.

God made a few covenants with his people. First, he made a covenant with Noah after the flood, stating he would never flood the world again. Later, he made a covenant with Abraham, telling him that his descendants would be innumerable. He made that covenant again with Abraham’s son, Isaac. He then extended it again to Isaac’s son, Jacob/Israel. After bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, God made a covenant with them and gave them the law, the ten commandments and more.

But God saw that we humans are not capable of keeping his law perfectly. So, he planned to make a new covenant. His prophet Jeremiah delivered God’s promise of a new covenant coming. Of course, Jeremiah was thinking the covenant would be with Israel and Judah. (Remember, they had split into two nations by this time.)

What Jeremiah had not foreseen is that God was going to make his covenant not only with Israel and Judah, but with all people and all nations throughout the world. It would take many years to spread the good news of Jesus to all the world, but God’s covenant is available to everyone. God has provided his covenant. It is up to us to accept it and honor it.

I pray we all accept God’s covenant made in Jesus Christ. I pray we honor his covenant. I pray each one of us will seek to better understand God’s covenant and uphold our end of it. God promised a new covenant. He has delivered it in his Son, Jesus Christ. Accept his covenant. Honor his covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

Walk In God’s Light

How do you feel about evil? Do you wonder how much evil there is in the world? Will it all ever be exposed? How well do you like being in the light? Are there things you do not want to come to light? Is everything you do for God?

We know evil is all around us. It isn’t just the crime in our streets. We hear every day of crimes that were being committed in homes, workplaces, and even in churches that were hidden for months, years, or decades. And we are disgusted by it.

We get frustrated and feel depressed hearing all the negative news. It seems as though bad news is all the news agencies report. We long to hear of someone doing good. We want to see people being rewarded for doing good for someone else, for being an upstanding citizen.

Jesus tells us everything will come to light. We may not see it all, but God does. He will shed his light on it and expose it. He is the just judge who will punish those who do evil. God knows who is disobedient and who is obedient.

Our part is to continue in our faith in Jesus. We are to be obedient to God’s commands and trust his promises. Doing so puts us in his light. As long as we walk in his light, we will see clearly, and we will be with him for all eternity, continually in his light forever.

I pray we all trust God to be the ultimate judge. I pray we continue to walk in our faith and be obedient to God’s commands. I pray each one of us will walk in God’s light, having our path lit by him. Trust God. Leave it to him to judge. Walk in his light. Obey his commands. Be in his light for eternity.

John 3:20-21 “For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Zero-Sum Game

How do your beliefs influence your behavior? Perhaps the better question is, how does your behavior reveal your beliefs? Have you spent time pondering what you believe is true? Have you thought about what your foundational beliefs are?

Our core beliefs drive our behavior. If we want to know what our core beliefs are, we simply need to observe or take note of our behavior. There is a saying, ‘we are what we think.’ It would be more accurate to state, ‘we are what we believe.’

When talking about belief, we are not simply talking about believing the sun will rise tomorrow. We are talking about deep down, core beliefs. Beliefs that affect how we go about our lives. These are things that we believe unequivocally are true. There can be no dispute about it. Beliefs we will go to our grave stating they are true.

That is the type of belief Jesus was talking about when He said that anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. The Greek word means believe, trust, entrust. It is a life changing belief. To believe in Jesus and gain eternal life means to put our lives into His hands. Perhaps the closest we can come to putting that kind of trust in another person is soldiers in a combat zone in which each person must trust the person to their left and right with their lives.

The Greek word for perish in today’s passage does not mean to die, but means to destroy, ruin, or cause destruction. In other words, Jesus is saying those who do not trust in Him will go to eternal destruction. It is a zero-sum game. We either go to destruction or eternal life. There is no in-between and no negotiation. Putting our trust in Jesus is our only path to life.

I pray we all realize it is a zero-sum choice. I pray we plainly see the choice Jesus is giving us. I pray each one of us choose to believe in Jesus, putting our trust in Him. Believe in Jesus. Put your trust in Jesus. Know it is a zero-sum game. Choose eternal life over eternal destruction.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

God’s Purpose for You

Yesterday, I mentioned God’s amazing grace. God shows us prevenient grace, meaning before we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But why does God show us grace? Does he have a purpose for us? Are we willing to accept his purpose for our lives?

Accepting God’s grace does not come with conditions. Yet, it does come with expectations. We can accept God’s grace without seeking God’s purpose for our life. Yet, God has shown us grace so that we will go about the work he has for us.

We may think this makes God’s grace a transactional relationship, but it does not. No, we still have a choice. We can accept his grace without taking on the work he has for us. However, if we choose to go that route, we will not live the abundant life Jesus promised. It is by partnering with God in love and through his grace that we learn what it means to truly live.

It is by God’s grace that we are who we are. He has used many different situations, some he purposely set up and some of our own choosing that he uses anyway for our good. When we understand God is working in our lives, it changes how we see ourselves and others. We begin to realize there is something bigger at work and we are not the center of all things.

As our eyes are opened, we see the good works God has created for us to do. The most important of those is to love him and the second is to love others. We can show our love by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and being kind to everyone we meet. As we accept God’s grace and allow him to change us, we exhibit the fruits of the Spirit as defined in Galatians 5:22-23.

I pray we all accept God’s grace. I pray we commit ourselves to the good works God has prepared for us. I pray each one of us will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. Accept God’s grace. Commit to God’s good works. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you. Exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. Live the abundant life.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Saved By Grace

Do you understand what grace is? Have you been shown grace? Have you shown grace to someone else? Grace is a word that gets thrown around a lot in religious circles. But we may not fully understand it. We may state it is unmerited favor, and we would be correct. But do we really understand it?

We get a glimpse of it with some of our bills. Some loans will allow us to be late by a few days without penalty. Some insurance companies will allow us to be late in paying our premium without canceling your policy. These are small examples and are for a limited amount of time.

God’s grace is far more than any of those. The expiration date is Jesus’ return, not the length of our lives. His grace does not postpone our payment but cancels it. His grace does not cover only one facet of our life but every facet. It is only by his grace that we can be saved, that we have the opportunity of eternal life with him.

We may argue that we need to choose to be saved. That is true. Yet, our opportunity to make that choice is only by his grace. This is part of what John Wesley called prevenient grace—God’s grace working in us before we accept Jesus as our Savior. Through God’s grace we are given a choice. Prevenient grace also includes God putting people in our lives to tell us about Jesus.

But God’s grace is far greater than that. In his grace we live and breathe. By his grace we are given talents, skills, and abilities. Because of his grace our sins are forgiven. Not just a few but all of them. We can do nothing to earn his grace. It is given to us freely. God’s grace covers us because of his love for us. We cannot boast about being saved for we have done nothing to earn it. It is not of our doing but God’s grace.

I pray we all come to know God’s grace. I pray we understand it is far greater than we give it credit. I pray each one of us will accept God’s grace and spread his grace to others. Know God’s grace is big. Give God the credit due him. Do not boast in being saved. Tell others about God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

Life and Death

What does it mean to be alive? What is death? Asking those questions from a human perspective may receive a few different answers, but it is likely they would all be of the same nature. But what if we asked the same two questions from a spiritual perspective?

We generally associate life with breathing, hearts beating, and a variety of bodily functions. The average person will include walking/running, the ability to think and learn, sight, hearing, and we might include having a family. In other words, what we do or can do.

Death, on the other hand, will be described as a lack of life. There may be a variety of ways we get the point across, but they all point back to the simple answer. In death, the body has stopped breathing, the heart has stopped beating, and the body has become rigid.

But that is not the life and death we should spend much time worrying about. Our spiritual life and death is far, far more important. As the Apostle Paul tells the church in Ephesus, we all were once dead in our sin. In some ways, many of us continue to keep one foot in that deadness. We continue to willfully sin. But the good news is, we can be forgiven.

We have life through the power of the cross and our belief in Jesus Christ. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are given freedom along with the Holy Spirit. We can go before a Holy God, ask for forgiveness, and be confident he forgives because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. We have the hope of eternal life because Jesus rose from the grave. Therefore, though we would be dead because of our sins, we instead have life because of the love of God as demonstrated in the actions and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I pray we all know we would be dead without Jesus. I pray we know we have life because of Jesus. I pray each one of us will hold on to the hope and eternal life given to us by Jesus. Step out of your dead body. Step into the life of the Holy Spirit. Give thanks to God. Know Jesus has saved you from eternal death and granted you eternal life.

Ephesians 2:1-2 You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.

Medical Symbol of God

Do you like to go to the doctor? Have you noticed the symbol used by the medical facility you go to? Have you looked at the insignia a doctor or nurse may have on their lapel? Have you noticed the symbol on a prescription pad or on the label of your medicine?

Whether we have noticed it or not, there are two universal medical symbols. One is called the Rod of Asclepius and the other is called the Caduceus. They are very similar but different. Each has its own history and the choice of which is used is left up to the organization.

The Caduceus is used by 37% of professional medical organizations and 76% of commercial medical companies. The Caduceus is based on the Greek mythology that it was the staff that Mercury used. As the myth goes, there were two snakes fighting and Mercury through his staff at them to stop them. The two snakes entwined themselves around this staff.

The Rod of Asclepius, which is used by 62% of professional medical organizations, dates back to 1400 B.C. It is a staff with a single snake entwined around it. It is based on the story of Moses who made a bronze snake wrapped around a pole which the Israelites could look at and not die after being bitten by a snake. Because they had complained against God and Moses, God had sent poisonous snakes into their camp and thousands died.

Is the symbol used by your healthcare provide important? Maybe, maybe not. But it may have been chosen specifically based on the tradition in which it came from. If the medical organization is faith based, it likely uses the Rod of Asclepius with a single snake wrapped around a staff. It may have been chosen specifically to remind us of the story of Moses. Knowing the origin of symbols can remind us of God, no matter where we are. His signs are all around us if we educate ourselves and pay attention.

I pray we all educate ourselves. I pray we see the signs of God all around us. I pray each one of us pay attention to symbology used by organizations and remember God is still active in our lives. Educate yourself. See the signs of God around you. Pay attention. Know that God is active in our world.

Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Fussy Children

Have you ever been in car full of impatient people? Have you had your children ask, “How long until we get there?” Have you had them complain they are hungry? Have you tried to feed them snacks and they don’t want them? Have you done the same thing to God?

Being in a vehicle full of impatient children can try our patience. Small children don’t like to be buckled into a car seat for long periods of time. They are bundles of energy that want to be moving. So, being made to be stationary for more than a few minutes is torture for them.

As we grow older, constant movement isn’t necessarily our cup of tea. Yet, most are constantly doing something, even if it doesn’t require a lot of movement. We may work at a desk but are constantly busy. We may like to play video games on our computer, phone, or the television. We may simply enjoy reading a good book.

As we go through this journey called life, we experience times when things aren’t as we expect or as we like. As followers of Jesus, we pray. We ask for things to change. We ask for guidance. We may even cry out to God, begging for mercy, crying crocodile tears. But are we willing to wait for God’s timing?

We know that God keeps his promises. We know that he loves every one of us. We know he desires what is best for us. If we know all that, will we continue to thank him and sing his praises when things don’t go our way? There is nothing wrong with asking God to fix things so long as we also praise him for the blessings he has already given us. Rather than just being the child who only wants to get out the vehicle, we should give thanks to God for the ride.

I pray we all choose to give God thanks for his blessings. I pray we ask him to intervene on our behalf. I pray each one of us choose to enjoy the ride rather than complaining about what we don’t have. Thank God. Sing his praises. Ask for his blessings. Ask for his guidance. Enjoy the life God has given you.

Numbers 21:4-5 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”

Weakness and Wisdom

Weakness and Wisdom

How wise do we think we are? Do we look at the foolishness going on in our world and think we are far wiser? Do we submit to the wisdom of God? Have we considered that God’s foolishness is wiser than our human wisdom?

The typical path to wisdom progresses through experiences. As we experience various situations, make mistakes, or navigate them successfully, we learn and grow in wisdom. Yet none of us can experience everything and grow to the wisdom of God.

Each one of us should be able to confidently say we are far wiser in our fifties than we were in our twenties. During those thirty years we experienced more situations than we can count. Yet our brains have cataloged those experiences and what we learned going through them. If we utilize that learning to become wiser, we won’t make the same mistakes again.

Unfortunately, we often do not read and learn from history. We see the same mistakes being made throughout history. Oh, we learn some from history, but too often we think we can go through the same situation and produce a different outcome while tackling the problem in the same way.

We are told that God’s foolishness is far wiser than our wisdom. This statement is addressing what humans may think is the foolishness of the cross. Yet in God’s wisdom we are granted salvation, giving us eternal life with him. Without God’s wisdom (or foolishness of the cross), we would not have hope and salvation.

I pray we all submit to the wisdom of God. I pray we choose to seek God in all our decisions. I pray each one of us will give up our strength in order to accept the weakness of God. Submit to God’s wisdom. Seek God for all decisions. Accept God’s salvation. Put your hope in him.

1 Corinthians 1:25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.