2013-11-22
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week the Holy Spirit led me to discuss our Covenant Partner’s idea of a nuclear family compared to the ever-changing nuclear family in today’s society. We saw some of the problems with unwanted children born out of wedlock, or children brought into blended families where the step parents don’t want them. With more women working full-time now, marriage, if it even takes place, does so at a later time in life. Today, it’s time to cope with this over-arching question: All of us want unconditional love, but are we willing to give it? Our Lord created us to belong to families and congregations to support each other through the challenges that will come to us in or earthly lives. ECCL 4: 9-10, “Two are better than one. When one falls down, his friend can help him up.” Our very best friend is the Lord Jesus. When the going gets too rough for us, He will help us if we are willing to take His outstretched hand. I think He will even carry us, should that be necessary! Our Covenant Partner has sacrificed His only Son on the cross, so that we can repent and be saved [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25].
We’re given clear instructions in the Scriptures about our responsibility to care for relatives. We must remember the kinsmen-redeemers of the OT [LV 25: 25; RU 4: 1-8]. The NT also has instructions on our responsibilities. 1 TIM 5: 8, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” EPH 5: 1-2, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” GA 6: 10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” PHIL 2: 4, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
This may seem like a strange time to mention pets, but I have personally experienced the unconditional love a pet can give. We have a dog, Cooper, who is a chestnut-red, long-haired Dachshund. We gave this dog a home when he was three, and his previous owner had left him along for long periods every day. Cooper was an answer to a prayer that went on for 29 years of my life when we were “dogless.” Later, when I was so very ill, Cooper refused to leave my side, lending me his warmth and in his own doggie way, letting me know how much love he had to give. He did the same for my husband, Peter, when he went through a serious illness. We took care of Cooper when he needed emergency surgery for a ruptured vertebral disc last year. Our Covenant Partner knew all of what was going on, and He granted Cooper an almost full recovery. Otherwise, Cooper would have spent the rest of his life paralyzed in his rear quarters, dragging his rear legs.
We are indeed created to belong to the Lord and to each other. One of the cruelest abuses known to mankind is total isolation. Studies have been done to show how destructive to one’s personality and general overall health this can be. Families, as our Covenant Partner intended, provide a way for us not to feel alone or abandoned. Even people who choose for godly reasons to be single have families/friends and a need for companionship from them. MT 19: 11b, “…and others have renounced marriage, because of the Kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” People are meant to be in congregations. However, the sinful nature of mankind has made them separate into various denominations and sects within a denomination. If God had His way, there would be both unity and harmony; we would truly be one in the Body of Christ. PS 133: 1-3, ‘How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling onMountZion. For these the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.”
If we read through the Beatitudes [MT 5: 3-12], we get a very good idea of what a person who loves unconditionally really believes and does. (I hope you will review this passage). Then, we must ask ourselves, how many people do I know who can really live up to all of this? When Christ’s Atonement took place, we got the chance to believe in Him and be eternally forgiven [1 JN 1: 9], saved [RO 10: 9], and justified [RO 4: 3]. This is the true reconciliation with God that all of us need. While many of us are believers and are trying hard to live according to God’s word, only Christ Himself was perfect enough to do this completely. He is God’s Lamb, without blemish or spot. That’s when we must look at the second step we must take after coming to faith. It’s cooperating with God’s hard work [COL 3: 9-10] in the process of sanctification. He needs our cooperation, so that we can mature and be perfected sufficiently to eventually go back to His side. Our redemption this way is His will [JN 6: 39-40; EPH 1: 4-5]. He wants us to have an active prayer life and to study His word daily. It is my belief that the only way a human being can love unconditionally, as our Lord does, is when he has been fully perfected. However, we can do our best to approximate this kind of love with spiritual maturity while on earth. So we should never give up trying to improve ourselves in His eyes!
PRAYER: O Lord, in the course of being imperfect humans, we come to You with heads bowed and reverent, contrite hearts. We are awed by Your use of Your immense power to intervene and guide us to righteousness. Without You we are incapable of the right thoughts, decisions, and behavior which you need from us. JN 15: 5, “I am the Vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in Him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” These words that Christ spoke help us to understand why ordinary people are not capable of unconditional love without His intervention. This is no reason for us to throw up our hands and give up. Instead, we can ask, with freedom and confidence, for You to help us to do what is right in Your eyes, and You will help us [EPH 3: 12]. PS 37: 5, “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it and He will!” Your goodness to all who love You is revealed in PS 103: 17-18, ‘But for those who honor the Lord, His love lasts forever, and His goodness endures for all generations of those who are true to His covenant and who faithfully obey His commands.” You give us great comfort in Your presence, intervention, and guidance in our lives. For this we are grateful and offer You our praise and thanks. 3 JN 1: 4, “We have no greater joy than to know our children are walking in the truth.” You are a generous and kind Lord. We offer You our lives as Your covenant partners, and we look forward to the day when Your mission to bring us back to Your side in Your perfect time comes true. With love and devotion, we offer these prayers today, in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We will begin a new segment of these “Our Covenant” messages called “Many Called, Few Answer.” We’ll look in a real way into the metaphor Christ used when He spoke of His flesh and blood meaning life to all who partake of it. As always, we are called upon to examine our lives and attitudes to see how they stack up with God’s word. The point is not to evoke guilt, but instead to open our hearts to the Lord’s teaching and His Spirit, so that we can improve our covenant relationship with Him and our human covenant partners. We are also in need of preparing ourselves to act on Christ’s words in MT 28: 18-20, the Great Commission. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and 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.” Our congregation has a program called “Greater” based on JN 3: 30, “He must become greater; I must become less.” This reaches to the heart of Christ’s teaching. As we become less, we acknowledge our wonderful God and agree to obey Him in every way we can. This means we listen to Him, seek Him out often, and accept the blessings He gives us every day, using them for good. EPH 2: 8-10 and MT 20: 26-28 also illuminate the point. Reread them, if it’s been awhile. Our God loves us and is always eager to comfort, encourage, save, forgive, and especially mature us spiritually. He has promised never to abandon us [PS 9: 9-10] out of the immeasurable love He has for us. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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