What Covenant Is

11/30/24

Covenant is dropping your nets, leaving your father, breaking your father’s idols, leaving Sodom and not looking back. Lot’s wife reserved the right to want something or miss something. That is unacceptable. Abraham never looked back. The disciples, James and John and Peter, left the fishnet and went forward—with no idea whatsoever what was going to happen next, only that it would never end, and there were no take backs. I signed the contract to sell my house, I got the down payment, and this is no longer my house. I can drive by and feel a feeling for three seconds about memories of that house, but I reject those thoughts instantly and know that house is no longer mine and I will never return. Temptation? Perhaps. Radio and motor and reconsideration of the covenant I made to sell that house? Never. “To whom shall we go? You have the words of life! I trust You, come what may. Homeless or luxury, pain or plenty—it’s all the same to me. Though I have a preference—I only live for Your pleasure, no longer mine.” That’s the deal. I don’t get a vote anymore. That’s the deal. That was the deal on the day of Pentecost, and it’s still the deal. I don’t make new decisions later on about my father’s idols or returning to Sodom, or walking back into a house I already sold. It’s not mine, and I will not think about it further, and my trust is in Jesus, come what may. That’s the deal.

Ohhhh yes. And who would want any other Marriage Deal...

For the Ethiopian Eunuch, and the guys who said, “To whom shall we go?”, doesn’t it seem like they simply made the decision and went with it, as opposed to being pushed and pulled and gyrating in their minds back and forth between their flesh and eternity? A man shall not need to say to his neighbor, “Know the Lord, know the Lord!” any longer in this covenant. Cornelius was satisfied to just serve the real God even though he thought he would get nothing out of it for himself. So there’s a screaming animal inside fighting hard not to die? But there’s no drama required. It’s not a martyrdom. It is a marriage! We don’t even have to feeeeel all the Love. He has enough to cover it all, and we’ll see it if we just drop the act and quit kicking and screaming long enough to simply look at him standing there waiting! (The alternative of owning ourselves and, therefore, needing to save ourselves is a gruesome, awful alternative to abandoning ourselves.)

Right. It’s not a martyrdom, it’s a marriage. How insulting it would be to consider it a martyrdom! Why would Jesus even want to marry someone who views union with Him that way?

It may be martyrdom—but come what may—He is an amazing Groom and the marriage invitation is totally undeserved—so we don’t care what happens.

True. Everyone is in a Partnership, a Spiritual Union.

GOD or satan

And only one of those raises the dead!

•  The Amazing, Reckless, Contractual Gift!