I know you're traveling, so have a safe trip! The word for this week is "covenant". In the Old Testament we see God's promise to Abram here is Genesis 17:6-7:
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. KJV
This "covenant" is the Hebrew word "beryith". Strong's Concordance says: a compact, confederacy, league. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon adds: alliance, pledge, treaty, agreement. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says: between God and man: a covenant accompanied by signs, sacrifices, and a solemn oath that sealed the relationship with promises of blessing for keeping the covenant and curses for breaking it. This covenant that God made with Abram was a a commitment by God that everything that Abram had belonged to God and everything God had belonged to Abram! It was a blood covenant that brought blessing to those keeping it and cursing on those who did not. If the Hebrew people would have understood the extent of their covenant, they would not have had a care or worry in the world! The One, True God was sworn by His own Word to protect and provide for each of His Covenant members! Their problem, when they had one, was because of ignorance of all that was theirs BECAUSE of the covenant! In the New Testament we have an entirely new and different type of Covenant that includes the Old but adds SO MUCH MORE! Look at Hebrews 8:6:
6 But as it now is, He [Christ] has acquired a [priestly] ministry which is as much superior and more excellent as the covenant (the agreement) of which He is the Mediator (the Arbiter, Agent) is superior and more excellent, [because] it is enacted and rests upon more important (sublimer, higher, and nobler) promises. AMP
This "covenant" is the Greek word "diatheke". Strong's Concordance says: a disposition. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: an arrangement, a testament, a compact. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: a disposition of property by will or otherwise. When Jesus died and rose again, He became the One overseeing His own Will and Testament! He paid the entire price of this new and better covenant and all that is left for us to do is to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. NOW we are a member of this Covenant! It is vital that we find out just what is IN this last "will and testament" of Jesus so that we know what belongs to us as heirs of God and joint (equal) heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17)! In this case, also, what we DON'T know will most definitely hurt us! Jesus sealed this new Covenant with His own blood! He was the starter and the finisher of this plan to redeem us back from the enemy and give us ACCESS to all that He has! The secret is in the finding!
We were told a story once about a man who bought a ticket to travel by ship from Europe to America. He had only enough money for the ticket, so he brought along some food for himself because he knew it to be a long voyage. He barely had enough, existing on something like crackers. As they approached the port he began to speak to another passenger who asked why he had never seen him at any of the dinners on board. The man explained his money situation and the other passenger was shocked. "Didn't you know that all of the meals on board ship are included with the price of the ticket?" What a sad situation it would be to get to Heaven and find out that we had missed out on what God had provided only because we didn't do our "homework" and find out what belongs to us, here and now! Being in the Word everyday, attending a good local church, having fellowship with like-minded believers AND having great in-laws that know the Word, puts YOU and your family in a great position to walk in all the fullness of God's plan for you! I LOVE to hear Avery speak about Jesus! She will also know what belongs to her better than very many adults!
Have a safe and very productive rest of your trip! Here is Hillsong United with "In The Mystery", knowing that it will no longer be a mystery for YOU!
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
