For the next four weeks we will be taking a closer look at our church's covenant. God is a covenant-maker and a covenant-keeper, so it should be no surprise that His people also make and keep (or at least strive to keep) covenants. Our covenant was written about 235 year ago and is based on the covenant of the First Hopkinton Church in Ashaway, Rhode Island. The covenant consists of four articles, the first of which is this:
"We agree to keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ."
As you read this week's Scriptures and reflect on them, consider how they were used to formulate our covenant, which was drawn from and rests on God's Word.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:7)
This entire Psalm tells us that not only is God faithful, but He is also strong enough to remain faithful; to keep the promises that He has made to His people. We know from our own experience that God is strong enough to keep His promises. We also know from our own experience that we are not. If you are married, you probably promised to "love, honor and cherish" your spouse, or something like that, through thick and thin. But even a cursory consideration of your actions would reveal that you haven't always done that. We promise things all of the time and find ourselves either unable or unwilling to keep that commitment. That will always be the case if we rely on our own strength to remain faithful. If I try to be a "fortress" I will fail. But if I allow the Lord to be my strength, if I allow Him to be my fortress, I will find the power I need to keep my commitments not only to Him but also to His people. As we consider the commitments we made to one another in our church covenant, remember that the power you need to keep those commitments is already available through the Lord who is with us, the keeper of promises, who equips us to keep ours too.
“Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold. “How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” (2 Samuel 1:24-27)
As you read this passage you may find yourself thinking, "Wait, what?" After all, what does our covenant and a lament for the death of Saul and Jonathon have in common? It actually ties in through the faithfulness of David. You see, David loved Jonathon, but he had no reason to honor Saul. Far from it, actually, in that Saul repeatedly tried to destroy David. But David could not forget that Saul was king over Israel, and never treated him as less. The Lord had made a covenant with Saul and, although Saul was not faithful to that covenant, David still honored it. David revered the Lord and His covenants, and through him we are reminded that the covenant we enter into with the Lord and with one another is something we are called to honor and cherish as we strive to keep it, just as we seek to keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ.
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)
Who are you trusting for growth? I often catch myself thinking that if I do right things, if I am obedient, then I will grow. But I am not the source of my growth, and therefore the things that I do cannot be the source of my growth. They may prepare the soil for growth the way a plow prepares the soil for growth. They may encourage growth in the way rain encourages growth. But those things do not produce growth. God does. We make ourselves open and ready for growth when we "keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ." But ultimately God gives the increase. As you strive to be faithful this week and find yourself failing to do so from time to time, rest assured that God is faithful even when we are not, and that He is hard at work within us leading us to the growth we cannot create ourselves, but which He nevertheless has planned for us.
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)
Here is another parable of miraculous growth which reminds us of God's faithfulness and the fruitfulness which flows from obedience. We may not think that the small acts of obedience we perform amount to much of anything. Often times, in fact, we don't see any results at all. But as we strive to be faithful, to keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ, the Lord takes our offering and multiplies it, using it to grow the Kingdom. You need not sell all you have, give it to the poor, and move to Saudi Arabia in order to prove your devotion to the Lord. Take one small step of obedience today, plant a seed by walking in the faith of Christ, and allow God in His timing to give the increase.
"...for we walk by faith, not by sight..." (2 Corinthians 5:7)
"Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4)
When it comes to keeping the commandments of God and walking in the faith of Jesus Christ, our only hope to do so is learning to walk (or live) by our faith in God. Sometimes circumstances lead us astray. Sometimes our own will to sin causes us to go the wrong direction. But by cooperating with God so that we can see the world around us with eyes of faith, we can become equipped to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, proving God's perfect will for us as we make choices according to His standards. This week we will think about that together as we consider this idea: believing is seeing. See you at church!
For the next four weeks we will be taking a closer look at our church's covenant. God is a covenant-maker and a covenant-keeper, so it should be no surprise that His people also make and keep (or at least strive to keep) covenants. Our covenant was written about 235 year ago and is based on the covenant of the First Hopkinton Church in Ashaway, Rhode Island. The covenant consists of four articles, the first of which is this:
ReplyDelete"We agree to keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ."
As you read this week's Scriptures and reflect on them, consider how they were used to formulate our covenant, which was drawn from and rests on God's Word.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
ReplyDeletethe God of Jacob is our fortress.
(Psalm 46:7)
This entire Psalm tells us that not only is God faithful, but He is also strong enough to remain faithful; to keep the promises that He has made to His people. We know from our own experience that God is strong enough to keep His promises. We also know from our own experience that we are not. If you are married, you probably promised to "love, honor and cherish" your spouse, or something like that, through thick and thin. But even a cursory consideration of your actions would reveal that you haven't always done that. We promise things all of the time and find ourselves either unable or unwilling to keep that commitment. That will always be the case if we rely on our own strength to remain faithful. If I try to be a "fortress" I will fail. But if I allow the Lord to be my strength, if I allow Him to be my fortress, I will find the power I need to keep my commitments not only to Him but also to His people. As we consider the commitments we made to one another in our church covenant, remember that the power you need to keep those commitments is already available through the Lord who is with us, the keeper of promises, who equips us to keep ours too.
“Daughters of Israel,
ReplyDeleteweep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
“How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”
(2 Samuel 1:24-27)
As you read this passage you may find yourself thinking, "Wait, what?" After all, what does our covenant and a lament for the death of Saul and Jonathon have in common? It actually ties in through the faithfulness of David. You see, David loved Jonathon, but he had no reason to honor Saul. Far from it, actually, in that Saul repeatedly tried to destroy David. But David could not forget that Saul was king over Israel, and never treated him as less. The Lord had made a covenant with Saul and, although Saul was not faithful to that covenant, David still honored it. David revered the Lord and His covenants, and through him we are reminded that the covenant we enter into with the Lord and with one another is something we are called to honor and cherish as we strive to keep it, just as we seek to keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ.
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)
ReplyDeleteWho are you trusting for growth? I often catch myself thinking that if I do right things, if I am obedient, then I will grow. But I am not the source of my growth, and therefore the things that I do cannot be the source of my growth. They may prepare the soil for growth the way a plow prepares the soil for growth. They may encourage growth in the way rain encourages growth. But those things do not produce growth. God does. We make ourselves open and ready for growth when we "keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ." But ultimately God gives the increase. As you strive to be faithful this week and find yourself failing to do so from time to time, rest assured that God is faithful even when we are not, and that He is hard at work within us leading us to the growth we cannot create ourselves, but which He nevertheless has planned for us.
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)
ReplyDeleteHere is another parable of miraculous growth which reminds us of God's faithfulness and the fruitfulness which flows from obedience. We may not think that the small acts of obedience we perform amount to much of anything. Often times, in fact, we don't see any results at all. But as we strive to be faithful, to keep the commandments of God and walk in the faith of Jesus Christ, the Lord takes our offering and multiplies it, using it to grow the Kingdom. You need not sell all you have, give it to the poor, and move to Saudi Arabia in order to prove your devotion to the Lord. Take one small step of obedience today, plant a seed by walking in the faith of Christ, and allow God in His timing to give the increase.
"...for we walk by faith, not by sight..."
ReplyDelete(2 Corinthians 5:7)
"Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4)
When it comes to keeping the commandments of God and walking in the faith of Jesus Christ, our only hope to do so is learning to walk (or live) by our faith in God. Sometimes circumstances lead us astray. Sometimes our own will to sin causes us to go the wrong direction. But by cooperating with God so that we can see the world around us with eyes of faith, we can become equipped to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, proving God's perfect will for us as we make choices according to His standards. This week we will think about that together as we consider this idea: believing is seeing. See you at church!