The Forever Covenant

~~~ Genesis 17:3-9 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ John 8:51-59 ~~~

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

God made a covenant with Abraham as 

he was changing his name.

A covenant with God is a binding spiritual contract.

God did not lengthy complicated legal documents.

God did not have his heavenly attorney 

draw up a document for this covenant.

God keeps his word there is no need for legal protection;

no one is needed to enforce the rules of the covenant.

I will maintain my covenant with you

and your descendants after you

throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,

to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

This covenant has now extended 

all the way through the ages to include us.

It boggles the mind to think about just how long ago God 

made this promise which we believe now.

What else would have survived for this many years?

God uses covenants to communicates us, redeems us,

saves us into eternal life with Jesus.

God's promises are never broken.

God's promises are not questioned.

God's promises are completely trustworthy.

The entire Bible is a covenant.

The Latin word for Covenant is Testament.

Thus we have the Bible in two parts...

the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Jesus said to the Jews:

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever keeps my word will never see death.” 

We could not have asked for anything more from God

 than to be among his chosen people.

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

God keeps his part of the covenant

 are you keeping you part?

God is the origin of his covenants;

 we are given the grace to fulfill our part.

His covenants are prefect and true.

~~~Peace~~~

Returned Gift

~~~ Genesis 22:1B-19 ~~~ Psalm 115 ~~~ Matthew 9:1-8 ~~~

Abraham was faithful to God; 

when God called to him he answered.

God asked him to make the ultimate sacrifice.

God asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac.

When he sent Hagar away he put her son onto her back.

Hagar carried life on her back out into the wilderness.

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering

and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,

When Abraham went out to the place where God said

he placed the dead wood on his son's back.

Abraham did not yet know what God would say when they arrived.

Perhaps Abraham was expecting to teach his son

how to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

God has other plans.

It is doubtful that Abraham would have chosen

to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain that day.

Abraham and Isaac engage in meaningful conversation

 as they go on their three day journey. 

Abraham talks to Isaac about the importance 

of being faithful to God.

He again tells him the story of how God had Blessed 

him with a son in his old age.

Abraham speaks with a heavy heart

for he knows why he and his son

 are heading to the place chosen by God.

Imagine how heavy was the heart of Abraham knowing

God told him to sacrifice his own son.

I do not know if I could be that obedient.

Abraham was prevented from killing his son

just as he drew up the knife.

God took him all the way to the brink of sacrificing 

his son before he intervened.

Abraham passed the test...

Abraham answered God's unasked question...

'do you love me?'

If you love God,

what are you willing to give up?

Abraham was willing to give back 

to God the gift of his son.

The temptation could have been to ignore God's request...

to happily live out his remaining years

with Isaac.

What gifts have you returned to God lately?

There is a freedom through giving 

our gifts back to God.

God accepts our gifts making 

them perfect in his love.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.

Blessings of life saved for you.

~~~Peace~~~

Steps in Obedience

~~~Second Sunday of Lent~~~

~~~ Genesis 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ 

~~~Romans 8:31B-34 ~~~ Mark 9:2-10 ~~~

 I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Abraham was a good, faithful, God fearing man.

He walked before the Lord almost to a fault, in our eyes.

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his flesh and blood, 

his own son, if it was God's will.

I know I would not have been able to commit 

such an act of obedience.

The Lord put Abraham to the ultimate test.

Abraham loved his son and he loved his God.

How was he able to discern the right action to take?

Abraham believed with his whole being

 that God needed for him to sacrifice his son,

God waited until he was about to make the final act 

of obedience until he stopped him.

I have this picture of Abraham's hand raised ready to come down 

with the ax when he heard the voice of God.

God was greatly impressed with Abraham.

I will bless you abundantly 

and make your descendants as countless... 

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore...

This is a promise that we stand as witnesses to in the present time.

We are among those who are the descendants of Abraham.

God the Father sent his only Son whom he loved greatly to die for us.

During the Transfiguration we see the shadow cast by the cloud 

and then we hear the voice of God.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 

from the cloud came a voice, 

“This is my beloved Son.

Abraham was not in the shadow of any cloud;

 he was walking with his God.

Jesus was obedient to the Father

 just as Abraham was obedient to God.

Abraham gained for all his future generations favor with God.

Jesus gained for us through his obedience eternal 

salvation for all future generations.

God calls each of us his Beloved...

during Lent it is especially humbling

 to consider oneself to be one of God's Beloved.

Returning to God with our whole being...

allowing God to love us...

this is the message of Lent each and every year.

Allow God to Bless you as his 

Beloved Daughter or Beloved Son.

We belong to him...we are his.

~~~Peace~~~

The Greatest Proof

~~~ Galatians  4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 ~~~ Psalm 113 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

How could anyone who was born free chose to become a slave?
Paul is asking the people why they would want
 to return to the slavery of the law.
Paul is pleading with his followers, the Galatians...
I have become as you followers of Christ.
Paul is urging the people to look forward,
not to regress to what was of old.

The promise of God was passed down through Abraham
by his child Isaac, born of Sarah a free woman.

Therefore, brothers and sisters,

we are children not of the slave woman

but of the freeborn woman.

As human beings we are constantly looking for proof.
We want proof that what we are told and/or
what we believe is real and true.

Sometimes we must allow our faith to supersede proof.

We are not always going to get a sign of validation.

The Jews had Jesus, the Messiah...the greatest proof
standing right before their eyes and they still demanded more proof.

They were used to having God himself give the stamp of approval...
Abraham...Solomon...Jonah.
They could not recognize proof in the person of Jesus himself.
Jesus must have been frustrated and disappointed by their ignorance.
They were rigid and narrow minded in their beliefs.

The proof that Jesus was representing was greater
than their heads could comprehend.
There in lies the problem, they were caught up in their heads.
They wanted to have a reason for everything.
They wanted to find their proof in the laws that they
themselves had created in the past.

Jesus was the living sign of the Redemption for all people.
Jesus stood before the people as a message for them to repent.
Just as Jonah had proclaimed to the people of Nineveh. 

Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Jesus is saying....I am the sign.
Jesus is the sign for us today as well,
one major difference...
we have the crucifix...
we have the proof of his body hanging from the cross.

Sadly there are still many who do not accept
 this image of reality as enough proof.

I pray that we see clearly the immense proof of our salvation
 by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We are Blessed beyond any means of proof.
Any proof of our salvation that we could seek
would be inadequate compared to the reality of the love it is.

Remember...
God so loved the world.
God so loved you.
~~~Peace~~~

How Do You Limit God?

~~~ Genesis 17:3-9 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ John 8:51-59 ~~~

God spoke to Abram, at which time he changed his name to Abraham. 

My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.

This was both an honor and a great responsibility.
There was one slight catch...
Abraham had to get
his people to keep their covenant with God.
This covenant was not just between God and Abraham,
but all of his descendants going forward...many generations.
As Abraham was already up in age
he found this covenant somewhat humorous. 

This all sounds easy enough, but it turns out to be
a rather difficult task going forward.

The word covenant is used thirteen times in the Bible.
Not surprising; God always keeps his side.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –

Those standing in disbelief before Jesus were part of this covenant.
They stood and adamantly rejected it.
They imposed their own human boundaries...
their flawed human reasoning.
They limited the possibilities out of their own ignorance.

Too many times I catch myself limiting God's possibilities.
How do you limit God?
What boundaries do you set around him?

If we keep God contained within our boundaries
how can he exceed our expectations?

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

Their own boundaries prevented them
from the possibility that Jesus was God.

Jesus put himself in the present tense, where as
 Abraham was in the past.

In the Gospel of John
Jesus makes eight 'I Am' statements.

Jesus spoke firmly...emphatically.
Jesus spoke with confidence.
Blessings within each of the 'I AM' statements.
Peace.

Who Has the Last Word?

 

~~~ Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22 ~~~ Psalm 128 ~~~ Matthew 8:1-4 ~~~

 

 Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself,
“Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?
Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?”

 

It is probably not a good idea to laugh at the words of God.

When God is determined to get your attention,

he sometimes makes use of what we would consider outrageous.
All things are possible with God.
We never need to wonder if God will do what he says.
It is God that changes names...
today he changes Sarai to Sarah.

Most parents I know spend much time picking
 just the right name before their baby is born.
When God changes someone's name it indicates he has
 simultaneously changed their life.

God wanted Sarah to see herself as a new woman
even though she was at the end of her life.

 

 

The woman formerly known as Sarai was old, and barren.
Sarah was rejuvenated from within...
God blessed her with new life.
She would from then on know herself as a mother.
 From that day forward she would not question God's plan.
From that day forward she was given a new passion for life.
I think life begets more life.

Her despair was turned to a joy filled hope beyond her imagination.
She had given up the hope of conceiving...
but God changed everything.
God gave Isaac to Sarah and Abraham.
If there is any part of your life where you have lost hope
trust that God has his plan still to come.

God has the last words of blessing.
He alone gives life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Timeless Covenant

~~~ Genesis 17:3-9 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ John 8:51-59 ~~~

 

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

 

 Today we are being reminded that God remains

to his promises made to from as far back as Abraham.

We see these promises written for us from the beginning

in the book of Genesis.

The beauty of God is that he keeps his word.

He keeps his word for all time...until the end of the ages.

 

Today we live in a world where it is rare for us to experience someone

 who does actually follow through from their words.

Too often words are just holders for empty promises.

Soon we come to a point where we find it hard to believe what people tell us.

 

But it is different with the words of God.

He has been keeping his words from the beginning of time

and he will continue to do so.

 

I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

 

God promised Abraham that all of his descendants

would be granted the very same promises.

No one can make such a promise except God himself.

God is never changing; yet he is the living God.

The concept is almost contradictory,

since we know from experience

 that all living things change.

 

The Jews around Jesus could not let themselves believe

the words Jesus spoke to them.

They only had knowledge of one God

and this God did not walk as one of them.

 

When Jesus says I am this same God...

I speak on his behalf...

He sent me here to do his will;

they recoiled completely from the idea much less the reality.

 

But I do know him and I keep his word.

 

Jesus says I do know this God for I am he...

I speak his words to you right now.

 

The Jews want to measure time through their understanding of Abraham.

They considered Abraham their 'father'...

he was the one God spoke to...he was the recipient of God's covenant.

Or so they believed.

Jesus had no such authority, in their eyes,

to speak of himself in a manner reserved only for God.

 

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

 

 

Imagine their shock when Jesus declares himself 'I am'.

God alone was the I AM up until now.

This was a huge leap of faith for them, and many just could not believe.

 

This certainly should not be a leap of faith for us,

but we do need to be reminded often.

God will never abandon us...

He is a faithful and everlasting God.

There is no time for God

God is eternal.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the great

I AM.

 

I pray that I am given sufficient grace

to never join

 in throwing stones

 in the direction of Jesus.

The Finger of God

~~~ Galatians 3:7-14 ~~~ Psalm 111 ~~~ Luke 11: 15-26 ~~~

 

Brothers and sisters:
Realize that it is those who have faith
who are children of Abraham.

 

Jesus dies on the cross so that we might inherit

"...the blessing of Abraham..."

 

"...so that we (the Gentiles) might receive the promise

of the Spirit through faith."

 

Even today in our families certain beliefs and customs

are passed down from generation to generation.

So it is with faith.

 

Abraham had faith in God so unwavering

that he was willing to sacrifice his son, Issac.

The great faith of Abraham serves as a model for us.

I would encourage you to spend some time this year getting to know

what the Bible says about Abraham.

Without his great faith we might be a very different people.

 

Throughout our life we are shown examples of faith

from those who have gone before us.

These models of faith serve as the building blocks of our own faith.

We are encouraged to believe when we hear or read

of how others relied on their faith.

To learn how God was there for them.

 

Jesus gives another example of faith in the gospel today.

Yes he is one with the Father, but his actions while here on earth

came directly from his Father.

Do you think for one moment Jesus ever had any doubts?

Do you think he was surprised that he could drive out demons?

 

"...But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you."

 

The finger of God...

It only takes a small amount of faith to experience the power of God.

 

 

The finger of God has been at work within humanity throughout all of eternity.

It is the finger of God that touches causes faith to take root in our hearts.

It is the finger of God that touches our brokenness.

It is the finger of God that heals our wounds.

It is the finger of God that covers us with his mercy.

It is the finger of God spreads his love throughout the land.

 

Jesus became the visible extension of the finger of God.

Jesus touched, blessed, changed, multiplied, wrote in the sand,

and cast out demons with the power of the finger of God.

 

"...the Kingdom of God has come upon you..."

 

You have inherited the Kingdom of God

through the promises made to Abraham.

You have inherited the Kingdom of God

through the extreme faith of Abraham.

You are granted access to the Kingdom of God

by the touch of the 'finger of God'.

 

Michelangelo has a magnificent painting in the Sistine chapel

of the finger of God;

I am sure you have seen pictures of it many times.

 

The finger of God may be subtle and may even go unnoticed, but

it almost always touches the heart.

Lord, my heart is longing for your touch.

Is Your Faith Evident?

~~~ Isaiah 50: 5-9a ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ James 2: 14-18 ~~~ Mark 8:27-35 ~~~

 

"...What good is it, my brothers,

if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

Can that faith save him?"

 

"...faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

 

"...faith without works is useless..."

 

 

James goes on in this chapter to give examples of works being connected to faith.

 

He cites Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as a result of his faith in God.

 

He reminds of a seemingly insignificant woman.

 

"...Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she

welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route..."

 

Faith and works or deeds go hand in hand.

If you do have faith then it most assuredly

will be made evident through your works.

For if you do not believe in the love and mercy of God

how you treated others might be of no concern.

 

Faith alone will not be your golden ticket to heaven.

If you but pay lip service to your 'faith' what good is it?

 

While it is true that we hear Jesus recognizing a person's

great faith thus granting them their petition.

The person has taken some action in coming before Jesus.

If they did not believe at some level he had the power to grant their request

we would not be hearing about them in the scriptures.

 

Finally James sums up faith and works with these words...

"...For just as a body without a spirit is dead,

so also faith without works is dead..."

 

Faith cannot be just an empty shell.

Faith must be the force urging you to take action.

Faith begins within and it brought to fruition by what we do for others.

 

 

James leaves us with some pretty clear words.

Go forth and spread the word of God.

It is by faith that we are able to do unto others as we would

have them do to us.

It is through our faith that we can forgive those who trespass against us.

It is through faith that we can pray ...thy kingdom come.

 

It is through faith that we can put our agenda aside

and trust in the Lord.

It is through faith that we can deny ourselves.

It is through faith that we take up our cross, continuing the journey.

 

May your faith continue to flourish through your good works.

 

Covenant of the Heart

~~ Jeremiah 31:31-34 ~~ Psalm 51 ~~ Hebrews 5: 7-9 ~~ John 12: 20-33 ~~

A contract is made between two parties who do not trust one another and because of this distrust they set 'limits' to their own responsibilities. A covenant is made between two parties who trust one another.
Throughout the Old Testament we see God entering into covenants with individuals...Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

If you have ever purchased anything life a car or a house you have undoubtedly had the experience of entering into a contract with another party. Usually these contracts are filled with legal verbiage that mean nothing to the non legal person...until something goes wrong. If something goes wrong then you drag out the contract, that you faithfully signed, and begin to read the fine print...

When you enter into a covenant with God you never have to be anxious about the fine print or the legality of the agreement. Covenants with God are always for our good. God does not break his covenants, but the other party may not follow through.

God makes a new covenant, a covenant of the heart. God places upon our hearts his law claiming us for his own. '...they shall be my people.'

This covenant of the heart which God initializes remains in us and resides in the hearts of each person. To further solidify this covenant he sends his only Son to earth. This son, Jesus, through obedience to the Father perfects this covenant of the heart God makes with us. Because of the death of Jesus we have complete trust in God. The death of Jesus sealed the covenant of the heart; "he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."

When we honor our side of this covenant we too become obedient to the Father. We must die to ourselves just as the grain of wheat in order to become fruitful. "Whoever serves me must follow me" To honor his/her side of this covenant.  "...and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me."
A covenant with God is imbued with Love and never distrust.

Those who live in covenant of the heart with God will be lifted up
from the earth and drawn to Jesus himself.

It is to our benefit to guard this covenant of the heart we have with God. He wants us to be at peace with this 'covenantal' arrangement. He creates the clean heart of a clear conscience, he renews our spirit and gives us a willing spirit, and the joy of salvation.

God sent Jesus to save us because he was not taking any chances with our salvation. He could not leave us to our own way...
he saw how that did not work too well in the past.
Open your heart into the possibilities of this magnificent covenant with the Lord.
Let Go and Let God
design your heart.

Questions of Sacrifice

Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 ~~ Psalm 116 ~~ Rom. 8:1b-34 ~~ Mark 9: 2-10

Sacrifice

It is good that we are here!

What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you able to sacrifice? Is sacrifice a personal decision? Or is sacrifice a chosen state of mind?

Sometimes we think we are making a sacrifice when in reality we are not.

Is giving up television for lent really a sacrifice?

Maybe not when you think about Abraham willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.In the Old Testament they were required to sacrifice animals as part of their religious practices. Blood shed and terminating a life was common and acceptable then.

 I think of the those who lost their lives during the Holocaust. Did they chose to sacrifice their lives? Is 'paying the price' an essential part of sacrifice?

The price for our salvation was the life of Jesus. Those killed in action in our military sacrificed their lives for our freedom. 'Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones'. Was that part of the deal when they signed on the dotted line?

Is giving up television for lent really a sacrifice?
If we practice small sacrifices does that prepare us for greater sacrifices? I think it is the greater deeper love that prepares us for greater sacrifices.

Our religious heritage is rich with the sacrifices made by those holy men and women whom we call martyrs. Some of them took the opportunity to come forward and offer their life in exchange for anothers life.

Paul writes, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

There is no greater love than to give one's life for another.

The magnificent vision of the Transfiguration was God revealing the Glory of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus, his beloved son, was making for us. Jesus sacrificed his divinity to take on our human flesh. He did in any was lose his divinity through this act. It was just less evident to those who were not ready to see clearly.

We can only bow down in appreciation for this ultimate sacrifice made for us.
The Ultimate Gift!

Prehaps our greatest sacrifice is to step out of the way;
  allowing God to create us for himself.
Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for God?
I will take this question into my prayer time.

Will you join me?