2011-03-11
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week in the “Our Covenant” series, I began a segment called “Agape,” which describes in Greek the unique unconditional love that God has for His human creation. To best understand this blessing of agape love, we need to see what kind of misery the absence of a covenant relationship with God brings. It must be said that God’s heart yearns for those of His human creation that are lost and is delighted for those who know Him and have saving faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Taking a closer look at the apostle Paul’s words in RO 9: 1-3, shows us one of many examples where God is using His messengers to get across His feelings. “I am speaking the truth; I belong to Christ and I do not lie. My conscience ruled by the Holy Spirit also assures me that I am not lying when I say how great is my sorrow, how endless the pain in my heart for my people, my own flesh and blood! For their sake I could wish that I myself were under God’s curse and separated from Christ.” These statements mirror God’s disappointment and angst in the face of so many people who are lost from Him. Even today in Israel, for example, there is a large segment of the population who are either ridiculously legalistic [the Ultra Orthodox] or secular. It is a fact that the one sticking point that is the main separation between God and His traditionally Jewish chosen people is their rejection of the Lord Yeshua [Jesus Christ]. Even with this, we see the compassion and patience of God’s heart in His staunch refusal to give up on the Jewish people. Do not believe anyone teaching replacement theology, the foolish notion that God has given up on His people, the Jews. It’s a lie, through and through! Instead remember RO 11: 25, “There is a secret truth, my brothers, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God.”
We must understand that God is perfect and never fails in a covenant relationship. Only man does. A real covenant relationship with God and a believer in the Lord Jesus is cemented with reverence on the part of the human and goodness on God’s part. The greatest sacrifice ever made was God’s in giving over His only begotten Son on the cross, so that mankind will not perish but have everlasting life [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25]. That too gives us a view into God’s heart. Moreover, we have been baptized into Christ’s baptism, and our sinful side has died with His crucifixion and our faith in Him. RO 6: 6, “And we know that our old being has been put to death with Christ on His cross, in order that the power of the sinful self mighty be destroyed, so that we should not longer be the slaves of sin.” This, Dear Ones, is huge! Before coming to faith, we had no choice but to sin until spiritual death occurred-no way out. Once we come to faith, we are still capable of sinning, but we no longer want to simply fulfill bodily lusts or desires. Instead, we have the choice not to sin, and thus, to live according to God’s teaching, leading to eternal life with Him in heaven on His time clock. We can always count of God. The question is: Can He count on us at all times???
Interestingly, that nature of relationship with God is seen in RO 9: 16, 18. “So then, everything depends, not on what man wants or does, but only on God’s mercy…So then, God has mercy on anyone He wishes, and He makes stubborn anyone He wishes.” What this speaks to is the uneven balance of power in a covenant relationship between God and mankind. We need to understand that by far, God is more powerful Participant in this relationship; and we must accept that. Some people are so egotistical that they think they can trick or fool God into giving them the leadership in the relationship. Not so! Our God is omnipotent [all-powerful] , omniscient [all-knowing], and omnipresent [all around us wherever we are]. Only those who are dumb enough to think they can fool God should be afraid of this. The rest of us know, God’s attributes and deeds are entirely used to benefit us in the eternal sense. Even His actions that lead us into painful experiences are designed to teach us valuable lessons we need to know to gain eternal life with Him. We need only look at Christ’s and God’s mission statements, given respectively here, to know our eternal fate is our Deity’s first priority [see JN 6: 29-40; EPH 1: 4-5]. Accepting God’s superiority and supremacy is the first order of business for a new believer. That places him in the position to try not to interfere with God’s leadership in the relationship, and are his first lessons in humility and reverence-two necessary ingredients in passage “through the narrow gate and along the hard road that leads to eternal life” [MT 7: 13-14]. They are also necessary ingredients to real wisdom [PR 9: 10]. The metaphor of a potter and his clay helps us to understand. RO 9: 20, 22, “But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the potter who made it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’… And the same is true of what God has done. He wanted to show His anger and to make His power known. But He was very patient in enduring those who were the objects of His anger, who were doomed to destruction.” His motivation for this patience can be seen in 2 PET3: 9, “The Lord is not slow to do what He has promised, a soon think. Instead, He is patient with you, because He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” We are blessed with a loving God, Who wants us to understand the value of His teaching and to know Him well.
PRAYER: O Lord, You are the Potter, and we are the clay! You are a loving God, Who wants to shape us into strong believers, believers whose faith can carry them through any test and whose eventual place will be beside the Lord Jesus as joint heirs and rulers of Your eternal Kingdom [RO 8: 17]. You created us as individuals, each with his own set of talents to be used for the betterment and growth of Your Kingdom. We are Your adopted children [RO 8: 14-16], and there will be times when You will need to discipline us, so that we can mature in our faith . This is no reason to be afraid of You, but it is one of many reasons to have reverence for You. NH 1: 7, “The Lord is good; He protects us in times of trouble; He takes care of those who turn to Him.” You encourage us, discipline us, and pull us out of the pit of despair. 2 THESS 2: 16-17, “May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and in His grace gave us unfailing courage and a firm hope, encourage you and strengthen you to always do and say what is good.” PR 3 :12, “The Lord corrects those He loves, as father corrects a son of whom He is proud.” PS 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then He listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a Rock and made me secure.” Your unparalleled love and patience with our imperfections is our first-hand experience. We are so very grateful to You for all You are and all You do. To You, to You alone belongs the glory, praise, and thanks forever [PS 115: 1]. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am led by the Holy Spirit to keep on writing about God’s agape love for His human creation. In taking such an examination of our actions against the backdrop of God’s heart-attitude, we can begin to appreciate how blessed we are to have a God, like ours. We can want a profoundly deeper covenant relationship with Him. Next week, we need to look carefully at God’s power and how He uses it. We need not be afraid of having this kind of uneven balance of power between God and ourselves, because of His goodness and the advantages to us of having such a covenant relationship. Together, we can pray, PS 16: 1-2, “Protect me, O God; I trust in You for safety. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, all the good things I have come from You.’” Our lives are not easy, particularly if we are trying to live “in Christ,” but those things which come hard to us can also yield the greatest satisfaction. Once again, I can speak from my own experience. The tasks I do in service to the Lord have led to some of my most meaningful experiences and friendships. One such friendship came out of driving 1 hr. 45 mins. west of where Peter and I live with him to attend the closing services of a Via de Cristo weekend. We did this in support of a friend who was going through the program for the first time. There we met another lady, who happened to be a Messianic Jew like myself. That led to a beautiful friendship that has lasted through the years, through thick and thin. It’s blessings like this that God is eager to shower on His obediently faithful children. I will end with this expression of love for God and prayerful plea. He richly deserves this kind of love from us. PS 18: 1-2, “How I love You, Lord! You are my Defender. The Lord is my Protector; He is my Strong Fortress. My God is my protection and with Him I am safe. He protects me like a shied; He defends me and keeps me safe.” These were David’s words, but they also apply to protecting us against the work of the evil one. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15