2012-09-07
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I was led to begin writing about the meaning of a friendship covenant. We looked at David’s and Jonathan’s covenant, seeing that it meant: 1) they were no longer alone, and 2) their entire families were bound in the relationship to one another. Today, I am commanded to write about the question: Are we our brother’s keepers? In tackling this question, we will look at the larger meaning to all of us of the friendship covenants in which we are involved.
We have died with Christ and will be resurrected. RO 6: 5-6, “If have been united with Him like this to His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” COL 3: 1-4 gives us instructions on what our minds and hearts should be concerned with and why. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” We have been made alive with Christ. He has forgiven all our sins. COL 1: 13-14, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” [For greater detailed information on Who Christ really is, see COL 1: 15-20]. These Scriptures are vital reconnaissance for us in understanding the amazing, supernatural nature of what Christ’s Atonement and our faith in Him has done in bringing about the new selves we, as believers, are.
We all know the story of Christ’s Parable of the Good Samaritan in LK 10: 25-37, so I won’t rehearse it here. If you can’t remember it, please review it now. But this is the story that asks today’s crucial question: Are we our brother’s keepers? This story is based on DT 6: 5 and LV 19: 18. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” Every person raised, as Christ was, in Judaism had been taught these verses. At the end of the aforementioned parable, the teacher of the law was asked by Jesus (36), “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The teacher replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus ends this parable with (37), “Go and do likewise.” That’s the kind of thing that people in a friendship covenant with others do. They have be clothed in the “robe of Christ” and their lives are hidden with Christ in God.
There is another aspect to this new creation [new self -2 COR 5: 17; COL3: 9-10]. From the time we are born, we are totally dependant on others. With normal, emotionally healthy maturation, we become less and less self-centered, more independent. But then, with the advent of our faith in Christ, we are taught to become dependant on the only Being we should ever be totally dependent upon—God! We are no longer selfish humans, we become balanced ones. To be balanced emotionally, we must partly take care our ourselves [with God’s help] and partly go forth in service to others who need us. If we are spiritually healthy, God, through the Holy Spirit, is in leadership of our lives, decisions, thoughts, and actions. My own life is the only one I really know well, so I’ll give an example of this from it. For the first 33 years of my life, I struggled. Due to a dysfunctional rearing and a disastrous first marriage, I suffered, was late in discovering God’s love or even His existence in my life. I tried everything I could think of to improve my lot, and I came to the end of myself. Then, I turned to God and prayed in desperation. All the while, God was giving me strength I didn’t know I had. When my first marriage ended in divorce after 15 years, He picked me up and carried me through real financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual strife. Then, He put my present husband, Peter, into my life, and things began to change. We have been married (for 36 and counting) for the happiest years of my life-happy even though we have been through losses, illnesses, financial stress, and all the usual problems people encounter. That happiness is the confidence we have in our Lord Jesus that He will never let us be destroyed by the devil, as long as we trust in Him. PS 55: 22, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fail.” PS 37: 3-4, “Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I see this as a head, heart, hands connection between our Lord, us, and those with whom we have a friendship covenant [all other believers in Christ]. If my experience is any teacher, there are some friendship covenants that are closer than others and very special in our lives. These covenants have extended my family relationships, and they have brought me into the loving mutual spiritually adoptive relationships with friends. These relationships are the fertile ground for spiritual growth and getting to know our God even better. They are great blessings in my life or in anyone’s live in which such relationships exist.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have blessed us with amazing covenant relationships, the most important of which is our relationship with You. You have “transformed us by the renewal of our mind” [RO 12: 2]. Moreover, You have clothed us in a new covenant identity with Your Son, Jesus Christ. It has totally changed the perspective on things that we have, including our troubles and those of others. You have made us capable of unselfishness and care, just as He cares for us. You have told us, in 1 PET 5: 6-8, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” We are not to be apathetic, nor are we to ignore the needs of others. Your Son also called us to witness from our lives to His message of salvation and peace. MT 28: 19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We need to serve others with sensitivity and kindness, showing the fruits of the Spirit [GA 5: 22-23]. We approach You with deep respect, reverence, and awe for Who you are and what you do in our lives. You have told us we can do so “with freedom and confidence” [EPH 3: 12] to ask that You always make Your will known to us and that You give us the courage and honesty to always seek Your input in our decision-making and actions taken. We thank and praise You, offering You honor and glory, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We will begin a new segment of these “Our Covenant” messages called “Accepting Christ.” In it, the Holy Spirit takes us to some Scriptures that further illuminate our covenant relationship with Him. Let me summarize the features of a friendship covenant: 1) We are no longer alone; 2) We are in this covenant not only with our friend, but also with God and all members of our families; 3) We have died with Christ and will be resurrected; 4) Our lives are hidden with Christ in God; 5) We will be merciful. Participants understand that our friendship covenant partners are also in the Covenant of Grace with God, just as we are. That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends with people who don’t have faith in Him now, but may in the future. While Christ tells us not to be “unequally yoked” [2 COR 6: 14] with unbelievers who are unable to be in harmony with His teaching, we should look for every opportunity God gives us to share the hope we have from His message of salvation and peace. This sharing should be with respect, sensitivity, and gentleness [1 PET 3: 15-17]. Our God loves us and encourages us in our sufferings, weaknesses, and strengths. We can pray, PS 33: 22, “Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in You alone.” We can acknowledge that He is the Source of all that is good in our lives by reciting PS 16: 2, “I said to the Lord, ‘Your are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from You.’” We can rely on Him not to ever abandon us [PS 9: 9-10]. Praise and thanks be to Him forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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