May the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing His will.Do your kids ever leave lights on in the house? Why do they? Because to them it's no big deal. They don't have the big picture of all the expenses of the home. They don't pay the bills. They're caught up in their own little world.
May he who became the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting agreement between God and you, signed with His blood, produce in you through the power of Christ all that is pleasing to Him. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
(Heb. 13: 20-21)
A few years ago when touring Israel, I was reminded of something. God's big picture of what He is doing in the earth is much greater than what most people are aware of or ever think about in day-to-day life.
The Everlasting Covenant
I was reminded of the EVERLASTING covenant that God established with man purely out of a love for man. I was put in remembrance that God had the whole earth and all the people of the earth in mind when He established covenant. He had only one motive and one desire—to love and to bless. His Word clearly establishes that.
Our God is a God of covenant. It was His plan to reestablish to us the promise and blessing that had been lost by the fall of man. The reason man hasn't experienced it to the degree he should is because man hasn't understood or even necessarily known of the covenant God has established with us. This is true even though the Bible is made up of the Old and New "Testaments," which translates to Old and New "Covenants."
Mankind, through rebellion and sin, broke the Old Testament Covenant with God. Once again, out of God's heart of love and desire to bless us, He had Jesus come to initiate a New Covenant with mankind—the New Testament.
It was established so that once again God's love and blessing could be received into our lives through faith. As Hebrews calls it, "...an everlasting agreement between God and you, signed with his blood." Jesus initiated that covenant through His death and resurrection.
Do You Know the Promise?
Many Christians don't know God's Word so they don't know the promises of our covenant with God. It's like having a bank account that you don't know of.
Many know of salvation—the gift and promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ—but that is the extent of what they know. After that, they think we are just down here to survive until we die and go to Heaven. That's sad.
God's covenant is so much more than that! God wants us to experience His presence and power in and through our lives. That happens as we discover His promises, and stand in faith and pray according to them.
As we grow in the knowledge of Him and experience His goodness and Him working in our lives, we'll become excited about our walk with Him. Our excitement will spill over to those who are weary, in need of, and willing to hear the truth about God.
Everyday our lives are presented with opportunities to be offended, discouraged, and become weary of life. Do you really think that was God's plan? No, it's not. God's big picture is covenant with man.
How a Covenant Works
Faith and trust in those promises—asking in faith and believing His Word—usher in those promises. This is God's way and how a covenant works. It started with the Old Testament and Abraham whom God first cut covenant with.
James 2:23 says,
And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, that Abraham believed and trusted God, and the Lord declared him righteous - good in God's sight, and he was even called "the friend of God."Abraham was mightily blessed of God! That extends to us today. Gal 3:29 says, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the covenant."
(James 2:23)
I need God's grace, wisdom, blessing, favor, strength, patience and provision to do everything He wants me to do. It's my desire to live my entire life serving Him faithfully.
But as I do, I have a house and cars to pay for and keep up, kids in school and college to pay for, people wanting money for missions trips, and endless appeals as a man, a husband and father—for my finances, skills, ability, and help.
I purpose not to get bogged down or overwhelmed! What I do is understand that I serve a God of covenant that desires to powerfully work in my life today. He offers the promise of equipping me supernaturally with what I need to live my life before Him.
He cares about what I need so that I can ask and then cast my cares. I believe that with all my heart. My faith calls for it. My prayers thank Him for it. My heart receives it! God always finds a way to get what I need to me. It is His will.
God wants to bless you. He wants to use you. He wants to equip you so that you can do what He asks of you. It's part of His covenant with us. Believe it! Apply faith to His Word and you will see!
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Timothy Burt is a pastor, author, and writer. He is best known as the author of Fresh Manna, a daily devotional and online Bible study.
