Monday, December 31, 2007

Covenant is Forever


COVENANT Yesteryear, Today, Forever
Exodus 3:6-11, 6:2-8, 12:4
Exodus 3:6: “Then He [God] said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”


God heard His children’s cries and remembered His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He chose Moses to deliver His people out of Egypt. God guided Moses as he led them to the land He promised in the covenant He made with his ancestors.

The entire Jewish nation was slaves to the Egyptians for 430 years. But the problem was that Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go. (Their work was good, and they were needed as workers.) God caused so much suffering that Pharaoh finally released them. Problem solved.

God led the Jewish nation to His provision: a land flowing with milk and honey, to be their possession forever. It took Moses forty hears to lead them to Canaan. The people had a hard time overcoming disobedience to God. But they finally took possession of that land.

Today, Israel is still the home for the Jewish people, but they were scattered far and wide across the earth. In 1967, Israel became a sovereign state. God’s promise was fulfilled with the provision that Israel belongs to the Jewish people forever (Joshua 14:9).

Throughout the Bible, God’s children can gleam covenant promises. With these few examples, we see that for sure, God will lead us through the problems that arise from these promises. We aren’t abandoned when dealing with them. When God leads us to a promise, we are assured there will be problems. But we can also be sure He’ll lead us through them. His goal is the same as ours: He will provide victory.

This covenant series is intended to provide you with hope and guidance in your life. The Bible is our instruction book, and it is packed with truths. From Genesis through Revelation, we can see how God never abandons His people. Promise, Problem, Provision, Sacrifice, Meal. Jesus fulfills every item of covenant. Remember this until you land in victory through Him in Heaven.

Take Home Nugget
No one welcomes problems. Circumstances can sometimes be overwhelming. It seems like everything is conspiring against our success. Instead of despairing, this is a time for remembering. Remember when...God delivered you from problems in the past. Remember when...God delivered His children out of Egypt after 430 years of slavery.
Know that He heard your prayer and is faithful to deliver you from your problem. Then give Him thanks that, while still unseen, your problem is already solved. Claim your victory and praise the Lord! That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Be of good cheer.”

There are times when my load is too heavy.
It’s hard to think past my dilemma.
Eyes glued on my Lord keeps my heart steady;
Cheering victory increases my stamina.
J.D. Griffith
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Friday, December 28, 2007

New Covenant 202


NEW COVENANT 202
Genesis 9:13, Hebrews 10:5-10, 11:1
Hebrews 10:7: “Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about Me in the scroll—I have come to do Your will, O God.’”


This New Covenant, just like every covenant between God and His children is everlasting. Jesus said of the Father: “’Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You (Father God) did not desire, nor were you pleased with them. The law required them. Here I have come to do Your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second.” And we were made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.

Our promise is everlasting life. Our sacrifice is to obey and follow Jesus, who died for us. Our problems are living in a sinful world obeying God’s commands. The meal is the sacrament of Holy Communion. We eat this meal in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. We live in hopeful expectation. One day we will claim our promise of live everlasting. God will provide us every single thing we need to reach His promise. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1).

Whenever we partake of Holy Communion, we are to remember Jesus’ death for our sins. Whenever we see a rainbow in the sky, we are to remember God’s promise of never destroying the Earth with water again.

We are secure that God’s promises never expire! They are good yesterday, today and tomorrow. We’ll live His promise of life everlasting with Him in Heaven forever.

Sometimes kids say that the Old Testament in the Bible is too ancient to be relevant today. When you hear words like these, it would be good to remind people that the people in the Old Testament paved the way for Jesus to come into the world. God gave us covenants so that we could hold fast to His Word. This is how God’s people claim their country in the land of Canaan, which today is Israel. This flags the way for us to claim our inheritance of life everlasting through belief in King Jesus.

Take Home Nugget
Promise, problems, provision, sacrifice, meal. That’s our lives in a nutshell. This includes the remembrances of Jesus’ sacrificial death that made the provision real every time we partake of Holy Communion. This also includes remembering God’s never going to destroy the earth by water again every time we see a rainbow.

This gives us security that God’s covenants are everlasting. Rainbows have been around for thousands of years!!

For as long as I can remember,
Rainbows have been a delight.
Pointing skywards as ribbons of color
Assuring us that everything is right.
J.D. Griffith
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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

GOD'S NEW COVENANT WITH HIS CHILDREN--JESUS


NEW COVENANT 201
Matthew 26, 27, 28:1-10, Mark 15:38
Matthew 28:6: “‘He is not here, He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.’”

When Jesus was born, He became our promise for forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. Jesus was born knowing He has the keys to everlasting life. Jesus sacrificial death on the cross became God’s new covenant with us, His children.

Jesus faced problems that were frequent and abundant. People often didn’t accept Christ as their Messiah. He was ridiculed, challenged, and finally crucified.

We tackle problems by living in this sinful world. Often, we are ridiculed for being Christians. Our goal is to follow Jesus by the way we live. Our problems seem to grow larger the older we get. The more we learn, the better we’re able to handle our problems successfully.

We aim for the promise at the end of our lives here on earth. This new covenant comes with a sacrifice and a meal. Covenant, Sacrifice, Meal. Sound familiar? It is sister to Promise, Problems, Provision. This New Covenant is everlasting, too.

Jesus ate the Passover feast with His disciples before He was crucified. Jesus spoke to them about His being betrayed. He told them about His upcoming death. He gave them wine which He said was His blood. He gave them bread which He said was His body. He told them that He wouldn’t drink wine again until He’d drink it with them in His Father’s kingdom. He willingly laid down His own life to complete His covenant with our Father. For us.

When Jesus gave up His spirit and died on the cross, something unparalleled happened. The temple curtain (or wall) tore, eliminating the division between the sanctuary where people worshipped, and the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence was. This is God’s new covenant with His children.

We are no longer separated from our Father. Jesus’ sacrifice made it possible for us to come into our Father’s presence. No longer do we sacrifice animals in worship. Jesus’ atoning death on the cross is acceptable sacrifice for the Father. Jesus took our sins with Him to death, and now we can be one with our Father. Forever. That’s a provision we’re guaranteed with God’s New Covenant.

Take Home Nugget

God’s provision to His Son, Jesus, was resurrecting Him from the dead. We, in turn, will be resurrected from the dead. We will all live forever in a new Eden, called Heaven. This provision will be more wonderful than we can imagine.

The wounds Jesus took for our sake
Were as deep as a lake.
But He welcomed the pain
To provide for our gain.
J.D. Griffith
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Friday, December 21, 2007

God's covenant with Moses


COVENANT with MOSES
Exodus 2-3:11, 12

by J.D. Griffith

The Egyptians worked the children of Israel extremely hard. Their burden was severe, and their suffering was intense. (Remember God renamed Jacob Israel. It's his descendents who are called children of Israel, or Israelites.) They remembered a time when they were not slaves. The Israelites cried out to their God.

When Pharaoh ordered all the boy babies to be thrown into the river, a Levite woman (child of Israel in the clan of Levi) gave birth to a son. She saw he was a fine boy and had to find a way to save him from drowning.

She hid the boy for three months. Then she found a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Placing the infant inside, she hid the basket with reeds along the banks of the Nile River. The boy’s sister watched as Pharaoh’s daughter discover her brother.

Pharaoh’s daughter knew it must be one of the Hebrew boys, but she loved him on sight. The baby began crying and his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter if she could bring a woman to nurse the infant. That was how the baby’s mother got to nurse her son.

Pharaoh’s daughter named the boy Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”

Moses was raised as a member of Pharaoh’s family. But he knew he was a Hebrew. As Moses grew older, he saw how his countrymen were suffering under hard labor. He felt guilty for living such a charmed life when his people lived in extreme bondage. He watched an Egyptian beat a Hebrew. His anger burned so intensly that he killed the Egyptian. Hiding him in the sand, Moses, had a terrifying thought, What if I’m found out?

Pharaoh did find out. He ordered Moses to be killed. Moses fled to Midian., in Etheopia. He came to a well. Some girls were trying do draw out water for their father’s flock. Shepherds interfered and Moses came to their rescue. Their Father invited Moses into their home. He grew to love Moses and offered one daughter, Zipporah, to Moses in marriage.

Take Home Nugget
God heard His children’s cry for relief. He remembered the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. God’s timing is perfect, although we often think He’s slow. When we wait for the Lord to answer prayer, we learn patience. God is faithful, and when He answers our prayers, it is better than we imagined. Ask Moses.

How long, Lord, how long?
We’ve suffered after having done wrong.
Our attention in You is caught.
Out of bondage we’ll be brought.
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

God's Covenant with Jacob (Israel)

COVENANT with ISRAEL
Genesis 48:3-4, Genesis 50:24-26, Exodus 1
Genesis 48:3: “Jacob said to Joseph, ‘God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me, and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and will give you this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’”

By now, God’s covenant had passed from Noah, to Abraham. Through Isaac and on to Jacob. They are the patriarchs of our faith. The Lord God renamed Jacob, Israel. Israel’s son Joseph brought the family to Egypt during the famine. Joseph was governor of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

On route to Egypt to meet Joseph, Israel’s wife, Rachel died. She died in Canaan, and he buried her in Bethlehem. It was when he was at Luz, in the land of Canaan, that God blessed him. God revealed to Israel that He would make him fruitful. From Israel would come a multitude of people. God’s covenant was that He would give them this land as an everlasting possession. (Esodus 33:1-3, Leviticus 20:24, 25:38, Numbers 34, Deuteronomy 1:7-8, Joshua 1:1-6, 14:9).

WOW! How did they know for certain this land was really theirs? (Hebrews 11:1).

After Israel died, Joseph got Pharaoh’s permission to bury his Father in Canaan. Joseph and his father’s entire household returned to Egypt. Joseph lived to be 110 years old. He made his children promise to carry his bones out of his coffin in Egypt, and bury them in the land which God swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Pharaoh died, and a new king, or Pharaoh, came along. This new ruler of Egypt did not know Joseph. There were over seventy people in Joseph’s family. All Jacob’s, or Israel’s, children had been fruitful. When the new Pharaoh saw how plentiful they were. He grew afraid of their strength.

He said to the Egyptians, “The children of Israel are more than us! They are mightier than us! Let us deal wisely with them so they do not grow any more abundantly than they already have.”

He made the Egyptians stern taskmasters over the Israelites. They afflicted the people with heavy burdens. They were to build the new Pharaoh’s treasury cities.

But the harder the Egyptians worked the Israelites, the more they multiplied. The Egyptian king grew alarmed about their strength, so he made the Egyptians bear down even harder on them. The Egyptians made the Israelites lives bitter with hard bondage.

Take Home Nugget

The king of Egypt told the Hebrew midwives to kill any son born of an Israelite woman. The Hebrew midwives feared God, and they let the boy babies live. Pharaoh was angry by their refusal, so he charged all his people with another command. They were to toss every male child into the river, allowing females to live.

Hard times are never easy
And people grow weary
But we serve a God who’s kind.
He breaks chains that formerly bind.
J.D. Griffith
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Friday, December 14, 2007

God's Covenant with Abraham



COVENANT with ABRAHAM
Genesis 15:5, 16, 17
Genesis 15:5: “He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”


God gave Abram a covenant. (Who’s name God later changed to Abraham.) The covenant between God and Abraham was to multiply Abraham exceedingly. That means he’d have scads of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. More numerous than the stars in the sky. Problem was, Abraham’s wife, Sarah was barren. How would God keep His promise to Abraham when his wife couldn’t conceive even one child?

This covenant, (or agreement, promise, bond, pact, or contract) made Sarah and Abraham uneasy. WHEN, God? HOW, God? Sarah was not able to conceive. They had no idea how this promise would be fulfilled.

We see things through human eyes. God sees things through Eternal eyes. He has infinite, uncompromising, all-knowing eyes that we cannot fathom. Often God gives us a promise that we don’t understand how it’s going to happen. We can’t see the how or the when.

But God is our omnipresent Father. He is everywhere at once. He is omniscient, knowing all things. He is omnipotent, that’s all powerful. When He gives us a promise, it WILL come to pass. Sometimes it takes all our faith to embrace the promise and believe its truth.

That’s what life is all about: faith and belief in what’s unseen. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1).

So when you read in the Bible about God’s promise, you can believe it. Often people break their word, but when God says something, it is absolutely true. God cannot lie. He never says things to tease. He doesn’t treat us like kids; we’re all His children. He gives us promises so that we can have hope in our future.

Take Home Nugget
Abraham was promised more descendants than the number of stars in the sky. But he and Sarah were past child bearing age. That was their problem. God provided Isaac in answer to their problem. Isaac was Abraham’s link to spawning the Jewish nation. Abraham’s other son, Ishmael, became father of many nations. Abraham was indeed the father of more people than the number of stars in the sky!

God’s promises are true.
Sometime we haven’t a clue
How He makes things flow
Better than we’ll ever know.
J.D. Griffith
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Monday, December 10, 2007

God's Covenant with Noah


COVENANT with Noah
Genesis 6:13-9:16
Genesis 6:9: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”


Ever hear the phrase, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”? That means that if someone buys you lunch, there’s always a catch.

People don’t do something for you without expecting something in return. Sometimes ‘free lunches’ cost people more than they’re worth. The sacrifice it too steep for us to agree to. Free lunches can be anything. If a school mate suddenly warms up to you, clearly wanting to be your new best friend, chances are he wants something.

The thing about covenants in the Bible are that God wants something from us, too. A covenant can be seen as a deal, a contract, or a pact. When God gives us a promise, there will be problems that pop up in association with that promise. Before claiming His promise, we’ll have to work through the problems that arise. His provision, or gifts in realizing the promise, are always better than we expect.

Promise, Problems, Provision. They go hand in hand in hand.

The covenants God makes with His children in the Bible are everlasting.

Before God destroyed the earth with floods, He gave Noah a promise that he and his family would be safe. Then Noah had to build the ark. People laughed at Noah. Housing two of every animal for months cooped up in the ark was another problem. After forty days of rain, it took close to another month until the water had dried up enough for Noah to open the doors. God fulfilled His promise with the provision that his family was to repopulate the earth. Then God gave Noah another provision. A rainbow would show us that God would never destroy the earth with water again.

Take Home Nugget

Sometimes we’re tempted to refuse a promise when seeing what it will take to accept it. But as we saw, when God promises us something, He will move heaven and earth to lead us through it. The problems can seem insurmountable to us. But our Father God will guide us through them all. What a teammate God is!

God’s promises to us are so enticing;
He knows what rings our bell.
As He leads us through the problems,
Awesome stories we will tell.
J.D. Griffith
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Friday, December 7, 2007


COVENANT 101
Galatians 4:6-7
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”


My sister always wanted to make deals with us. She’d try to trade us something for something else. We discovered early on that her deals often worked out better for her than for us. After pointing this out to her, she planned better deals—trying to give better than what she’d receive. Or at least an even, fair trade. As kids, we were enticed by her deals. Today, her deals are very grown up, and much more fair. We are as delighted as she is when agreeing to them.

Do you do this? Trying to negotiate a better deal than what’s offered? There is one deal that’s better than all the deals we offer to each other. God’s ‘deal’ is giving us His word with a promise attached. He calls it a covenant. God makes no promise without a covenant. Covenant is the most important word in the Bible. It means deal, pact, agreement, promise, or contract. God made covenants with His children. He made covenants with specific people and the nation of Israel. A covenant is permanent, everlasting.

God’s covenants with people are something like when Dad says he’ll take you to the circus this coming weekend. Dad gives you his word and there’s a promise attached to it. Dad probably told you to clean your room and help Mom before he’d take you to the circus.

God’s covenants are His Word with a promise attached, too. Usually we don’t see the promise happen today. Or even as soon as this weekend. But God’s promises are as good as gold. He wants something from us, too. He wants us to keep Him first in our hearts. We’re so sure that He’s going to make good on His promise that we wait in expectation. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1).

Take Home Nugget
When we see promises in the Bible, we often think that they are not meant for us. Don’t listen to the devil trying to steal away God’s covenant from you. Paul tells us in Galatians 4:6-7 that we are heirs, and can call God the Father, Abba. We are not slaves, but heirs along with the Jews of the Bible. Their covenants, or promises, are ours as well!

Oh Father God, how awesome You are
To bless Your children with promises that are above par.
Your covenant with us hinges on our part
Which is keeping Your Son Jesus first in our heart.
J.D. Griffith
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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Hanukkah

HANUKKAH

Psalm 77:14: “You are the God Who performs miracles; You display Your power among the peoples.”
Sundown on December 4th will usher in the eight days of celebrating Hanukkah. (Chanukah, Hannukah.) There is nothing in the Bible about this “Festival of Lights”, but the Jewish people celebrate this holiday every year.

Twenty one hundred centuries ago, well before the birth of Christ, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth. They drove the Greeks from the land and reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In rededicating it to the service of God, they sought to light the menorah. There was only enough olive oil for one day. Miraculously, that one day supply burned for eight days.

Just as we Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th, the Jewish people celebrate eight days of Hanukkah beginning December 5th.

Christians respect this festival and do not intrude on Hanukkah, just as the Jewish people honor our celebration of Christmas. These traditions bring to light the differences that separate our faiths. Although we do not have Biblical references for this holiday, there is no reason for Christians to be rude to people who celebrate Hanukkah. They are our brothers and sisters, and we are commanded by Jesus to love one another.

In the heart of this festival is the nightly menorah lighting. A single flame is lit the first night. Another flame is lighted on succeeding days until the eighth day when all the candles are aglow. You can see these proudly displayed menorahs on mantels and window sills during this season.

Hanukkah customs include reciting Hallel and Al HaNissim prayers. They offer praise and thanksgiving to God for delivering His people from the hands of the Greeks. They also celebrate by eating foods fried in oil. Batkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts), for example. Playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which Hebrew letters are inscribed) are traditions observed by Jewish people. Also, it’s customary to give gifts of money to children.

Take Home Nugget
What similarities can you see that compare or contrast Hanukkah and Christmas? Can you open your heart into accepting Hanukkah as a holiday for people who are different from you?

We cling to our traditions learned years ago
But there are others whose rites we do not know.
Teach us love and patience, Lord
Hearts open, acceptance stored.
J.D. Griffith

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