Sign A New Covenant With God

Nehemiah 10:28-29 - The rest of the people--priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand-- all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.

 

Everyone from Nehemiah….to the priests…all the Levites…the political leaders…and even representatives of all the common people…signed a covenant with God.  It renewed the promise Abraham had made to follow all of Gods laws.  They promised to visit the Temple on a regular basis….marry only other Jews who had promised to love God…raise their children with Gods rules…even dedicating the first born to his service.  They promised to tithe a tenth of all that God gave them back to him…even the time that he gave them each day.

 

Nehemiah called for them to commit everything about their lives to God…and allow him to direct everything they did.  A spoken promise was not good enough…Nehemiah required a written signature…a binding act of commitment to God’s way of life.  They all agreed together to support and help each other…and to never neglect the Temple of God…who had saved them more than once from total destruction.

 

Paul took this old testament model to the next generation. It is in Galatians  2:20….that he helps us understand how to sign our own covenant of commitment to God.… "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." His words of hope prove that is not impossible to live a life of total commitment to Christ…but we must die to self if we are to have a fighting chance at honoring our promise.

 

I remember the day as a 14 year old teen…that I entered a verbal covenant with God.  But I admit that at 54…I have not totally grasped the full meaning of such a covenant.  I have broken my promise to God countess times…and relapsed into my own selfish desires many times.  Perhaps I have not truly died to my flesh as Paul directed me.  Perhaps…I need to sign a new covenant with God…and renew my promise to love him more than anything else in my life.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder to renew my promise to live for you alone. I enter into a new covenant with you this morning.  I promise to work on my relationships...and love others as you have loved me…unconditionally.  I promise to love and try to teach my children about your love…even though they are grown and living on their own. I promise to give back to you all the material resources you have blessed me with…even giving  a tenth of all that you give me back to the church.  I promise to give you all the time that you direct me to spreading the great message of hope and love to others who do not know you.  Help me remove the selfish flesh that has prevented me from keeping this promise to you in the past….and give me power and strength to overcome the temptations that satan places in my path. Amen.