New Covenant

"This is the covenant I will establish

with the people of Israel after that time,

declares the Lord.

I will put my laws in their minds

and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another,

'Know the Lord,'

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more."

Hebrews 8:10-12

We recently refinanced our house to take advantage of a low interest rate offered by a special program available only to Military Veterans.  Under our new mortgage, we enjoy many benefits like a lower monthly payment and calculation of interest based  on the current balance.  Not only does this new agreement ease our monthly budget, but it also provides a long-term benefit in paying off our house sooner.

In a similar way, God made a new agreement between Himself and His people.  Under this new, superior covenant, my sins are forgiven and forgotten through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.  

No longer is my righteousness based upon my ability to follow God's law and the daily priestly animal sacrifices necessary to cover my transgressions.  Instead, the burden of redemption fully rests on the the sacrifice of the Perfect Lamb of God. (John 1:29)  Under this new covenant, His children benefit in many ways.

Letter From Christ

There was no doubt which animal had received the most training.  That final year of belonging to a Beef 4-H group which fosters youth development, I had resolved to bring two animals to the local county fair.  One was a sweet young heifer named "Blossom," the other a lumbering steer dubbed "Hoss" for his 1500 pounds of bulk.  

I spent hours working with Blossom, halter breaking her and teaching her to walk beside me on a lead since she would be the one I would show the most.  Hoss, however, was just going to be there for looks.  He was going before the judges only once to be evaluated on his structure, physical form and muscle development so I reasoned that he only needed minimal training. 

Sure enough, when we got to the fair, it was Hoss who gave me problems, getting loose one day as I took him out for his daily exercise.  Just as the proof of the level of time investment made to each animal was evident in the behavior of my charges, so am I evidence of the work of what Christ has done in my heart as many have spent time in discipling me. (2 Corinthians 3:3)  When I yield to His transforming work, I am a walking billboard for Christ.

One of the benefits of the new covenant is how the Spirit of God breathes new life into me as He writes truth on my heart.

Family Resemblance

One of the most moving parts of a wedding ceremony is at the end when the pastor presents the bride and groom as a married couple for the first time.  "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. John Smith."  Then the happy pair walks down the aisle and out the doors, representing the beginning of their new life together, forever linked by their family name.

As a child of God, I also took on a new name when accepting Christ as my Savior.  As a member of His family, I take on His name as mine, much like a bride assumes the name of her husband (traditionally).  This means I belong to Him with a bond that cannot be broken: I am family. (1 John 3:1-3)

As His child, I am to display the fruit of the indwelling Spirit as I allow Him to change me day by day.  The less there is of me, the more of Him and His love will show.  In this way, people will know I belong to Him because there will be a family resemblance. (John 13:34-35)  

One of the benefits of the new covenant is that I become one of God's people through faith In Jesus Christ.

Relationship

As I spent time with my husband, I got to know him better.  I learned what he liked and what irritated him.  When I hung out with him as he went through the day-to-day aspects of his life, I began to notice patterns and ways of dealing with situations that became closely identified with him.  I even learned to recognize the way he walked which helped when distinguishing him from the rest of the Army Soldiers who wore the same uniform.

If my marriage is going to last, I must continue to work on building my relationship with my husband.  If I stopped taking our relationship seriously once the wedding was over we would simply be roommates living parallel lives:  I must continually desire to know him more deeply.

Just as I want more than superficiality from my marriage, God also desires an intimate relationship with me.  He is not a faraway God who is mysterious and aloof.  Instead, He is a loving God who desires to be included in every part of my life.  (Proverbs 3:6, Revelation 3:20)

One of the benefits of the new covenant is that I can know God.

I am so thankful for this new and improved promise of God offered through faith in Christ.  Because of His great love for me, I can be a walking testimony to His work in my life, take on His family name and attributes, and intimately walk with Him as His child.  All I need to enter into this covenant is to invite Jesus to be Lord of my life!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will submit to the Lord's sovereign plan for my life.

How do I act like I don't belong to God's family?

When do I go through the motions as if I'm only involved in a religion instead of seeking to know my Father better?