2014-03-21
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Right out of the gate, I will reiterate IS 41: 8-10 with its most precious words. “But you, O Israel, My servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend, I took you from the ends of the earth from it’s farthest corners I called. I said, ‘You are My servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.‘” Those Gentile believers reading this message who acknowledge God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior, need not feel excluded from it. For you were grafted in to the places left open by Jews who disobeyed God’s teaching as “wild olive branches grafted to the cultured olive tree” [RO 11: 17]. Through faith in Christ, reconciliation with God and eternal forgiveness for their sins--both inherited and committed, confessed genuinely with a heart open to the Holy Spirit [1 JN 1: 9], has been accomplished. This huge, far-reaching accomplishment has been done by Christ’s Atonement on the cross.
Chosen and not rejected! How fabulous is that! RO 5: 9-11 tells us that we are not only His servants, but also His friends. Covenant friendship in the true sense is a faithful relationship, faithful and sacrificial out of choice. That’s why Jesus said, in JN 15: 13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Then He goes on to tell us that we are both his servants and his friends, from which none of His teaching [which I like to call “reconnaissance”-meaning necessary knowledge for survival] is held back. The topping on the cake comes in JN 15: 16-17, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit, fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask for in My name. This is My command: love one another.” Yes, He chose us first, not the other way around. We must ask: do we want to waste one drop of the blood He shed for us?
I’m a person who has been married twice. The first time was when I was too young, and I came to realize it was an arranged marriage for the wrong reasons. It lasted 15 years, and the only good thing to come out of it was my son. Once it was over, I went through a period of rejecting any close relationship except with other women. However, a young man came into my life who broke through that wall of mistrust and hurt, in the most gentle, but deliberate way I’ve ever seen. It took him a long time to get me to date him and come around, but when I did, I fell deeply in love with him. First and foremost, he became my covenant friend. It was on this basis that even through he is younger than me, I married him 37 years and counting ago. Our marriage has been a great one, and I hope it continues for many more years to come. He feels the same way, and he is my best human friend on earth. Why mention this? It’s because a marriage based on friendship lasts, and one that is not, isn’t likely to do so. And yes, shared faith in the Lord Jesus is very much a part of this friendship.
Does this mean that we must share the same faith to have a friendship? The answer to that question rests on how much in common two people have. We also must realize that God has not told us which people we encounter who are not presently believers will ultimately reject faith in Christ. That’s important and the basis of why we have the Great Commission of MT 28: 19-20, “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 end of the age.” There are some issues that must be raised. What people don’t understand, they fear. That fear often takes the form of prejudice. And yes, prejudice must be carefully taught. So, we need to take steps to break through that fear, to shed God’s light on what we don’t understand. This helps to break down barriers between people. Education can’t be stressed enough. I think of that lovely Muslim teenaged girl from a small corner of Pakistan who wanted to speak publicly about the need for young Islamic girls to get an education. Of course, this applies to boys too. For doing so, she was shot after being pulled away from her friends while riding a bus to school. She survived miraculously and went on to relocate to England and continue to speak out on the issue. I learned about her from reading an article in a magazine. The clothes we choose to wear, the degrees we sign our names with, the valuing of material wealth over the content of people’s characters, and much more can be used as ways to separate and compartmentalize people. These are things of the world. We are asked to place our minds and hearts on the things of heaven [COL 3: 2]. As for real friends, they will remain our friends through thick and thin. It is from God’s heart that we learn to value friendship, select friends wisely, and to be a true friend. RO 5: 8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Friends, who are true covenant friends can trust each other. How much more can we trust a Covenant Partner Who cut a covenant with us through the blood of His Son?
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You with heads bowed and humble hearts to acknowledge Your compassion, wisdom, and love. It’s all too often that we forget to offer You thanks and praise for teaching us what love is and what it entails. We are Your imperfect human covenant partners, in need of Your continuing presence and intervention. From the time that Moses begged You to remain with Him and the Jews wandering in the desert, You have lived with Your people. You, Dearest Abba, are a true Covenant Friend and Partner. Your example shines before us through our history with You. You promised, in EX 6: 6b, “I will free you from being slaves to them [Egyptians], and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will make you as My own people, and will be your God…” Over and over again, You have destroyed our enemies [JS 5: 13- 6: 27; 1 SAM 17: 48-49; OBAD 5-7; Constantine’s conversion to Christianity are examples], taught us love and devotion through Your Son’s words and example, have demonstrated patience and compassion toward us [2 PET 3: 9; MT 9: 36; JN 10: 14-15], and have shared Your wisdom with us [book of Proverbs, for example]. Throughout our entire history, You have been a true Covenant Partner upon Whom we can always rely. Our own part in this history with you has been checkered at times, imperfect and often lacking these things. And yet, You, as stated in PS 9: 9-10, never to abandon those who love You. We have been in need of reconciliation with You, due to both inherited [GN 3: 1-6] and committed sin. That reconciliation came in the form of Jesus on the cross and our willingness to confess, repent, and genuinely express true faith in Him [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; JN 1: 12]. Father, we raise our hands and offer You praise and thanks forever, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We have seen from this brief rehearsal of our history with God in prayer, that He is a true Friend, Who sets an example for us of what a covenant friend is and how to be one. His presence in our lives has brought about, in those of us who are true believers in Christ, a great change in both our attitudes and our behavior toward Him and others. We’ll look more closely into this next week, and we will look into the true meaning of a hand clasp or handshake. As the Holy Spirit leads me through what He wants me to write to you, I find myself drawn closer and closer to Him. I see this as His will, to make us love Him more and more, to know Him better and better-even to want us to desire to be “transformed inwardly by the renewal of our mind” [RO 12: 2]. This is not a one time event, but instead, is an on-going effort on His part to gradually bring us closer as He deems us ready for each step [COL 3: 10]. This is our Covenant Partner’s work in the process of our sanctification. Now, we need to look at our part, which is to find ways to cooperate with Him. We need to know that He encourages us [PHIIL 4: 11-13], protects us by empowering us to repel the adversary [EPH 1: 18-20; 1 PET 5: 8; JAS 4: 7], and loves us beyond measure [JN 10: 27-30; 1JN 4: 7]. ZEPH 3: 17, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a Mighty Savior, He will take delight in you with gladness; with His love, He will calm all fears. He will rejoice over with joyful songs.” How blessed we are to have His love and guidance! So, join with me this week and always in offering Him our thanks and praise!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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