A New Way

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. But finding fault with His people, He says: look, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by their hands to lead them out if the land of Egypt.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says The Lord : I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be My people. Hebrews 8:7-10

The scripture quoted was from the book of Jeremiah. Imagine Jeremiah digesting these words. He was an abused and unaccepted prophet to Judah around 625 BC. He was umprisoned down a well, starved an constantly ignored.

The prophesy he gave about a new thing and a new time when the people would have God's word written on their hearts would have seemed improbably and he would not live to see it.

Today we are faced with a society bent on making their own gods and now they are so brazen to make them in their own image. The prevailing thought is: well if I don't hurt anyone then what is the problem?

Today I watched a Compass programme about a prominent aboriginal man who is an actor and for 40 years was a cocaine addict. He had been taken from his mother as a child and raised in a Salvation Army home where he said he was abused physically and mentally. I could well believe it was true. Now in later life this man has kicked the cocaine addiction and now created his own religion in which he still follows the 10 commandments and aboriginalised the rest. In his own words my god is within me. His testimony did not speak of an in dwelling Christ but rather his own god.

How sad that the church has abused this man and caused him to go the way he went. 

My siblings all went to a Catholic Church school. One of my brothers was bullied by a nun who did not like him. Yest this one brother now attends mass regularly with his wife. The rest of the family have departed. Another brother became born again and attends a Uniting Church and myself a Pentecostal church.

The religion that abuses and bullies deserves to be cast away. Christ never bullied anyone. He lay down His life for all. A huge difference.

Jeremiah spoke of the new and he would not have know what that looked like other than God was going to change men's hearts. Only a living relationship with Christ can do that. Only a person who lives in vital union with Christ can love as Christ loves.

Praise God for the New Covenant. Amen!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who Rules?

The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers, I will pout out my fury on them like water. Hosea 5:10 World leaders of church and state are now all highly visible. When they are not open to consultation or do not listen they make judgements that are judged as foolish by both God and man. In Australia we just celebrated Australia Day and at this time various people are honoured for their contribution to society. Our Prime Minister, Mr Abbott, without consultation, conferred a knighthood on the Queen of England's husband, Phillip. Almost to a person, Australians judged this to be foolish. Even supporters have now distanced themselves. Imagine what it is like when church leaders follow their own emotions or the emotions of their people and change what is acceptable to God. For example, no longer considering adultery something that precludes a man from ministry. We might think we are clever, but actually going with a sinful flow. Where is God in all this? My emotions ar...
Read more

Know Your Sword!

So he took Him to Jerusalem, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "if you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: 'He will give His angels orders concerning You, to protect you, they will support You with their hands, so that you will not strike Your foot against a stone.' And Jesus answered him, "it is said: 'do not test The Lord your God." And the Devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him for a time. Luke 4:9-11 In this third test Satan quoted scripture but Jesus knew His scripture and was not going to be deceived by his enemy twisting the truth. I am amazed at what Satan tempted Jesus with. He did not know Christ. He had succeeded in tempting the first Adam yet he was thwarted in this attempt. Jesus had lived 30 years and been tutored in godliness with contentment, he was prepared, baptised in the Spirit and sold out to the Father's purpose. Every time our enemy comes against us we ...
Read more

Little Things Grow

The boy's mother said to Elisha, "as The Lord lives and you yourself live, I will not leave you. So he got up and followed her. 2 Kings 4:30 The Shunamite woman had travelled to Mt Carmel to find Elisha after the death of her son. Although Elisha had sent his servant Gehazi to the boy with his staff the woman had come to find Elisha and was not leaving without him. I like this lady's spirit. I am sure The Lord God Almighty also valued her heart. She had a heart for God and made room for Him in her world. Now, having lost her son she knew what to do: find Elisha and not let him go until he came to restore her son. What made the Shunamite woman believe that Elisha could raise her son? Was it the same faith that made her provide him a place to stay in her home? I believe it was God working in her life. I am grateful for her faith, I can read and be encouraged. We do not know her name yet her story lives in scripture. What a little thing it was to feed Elisha and then provide ...
Read more