Luke 22:19-20
Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.”
He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you..
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Covenants are a part of our
everyday life…from the loan agreement you signed with the bank for your
car and/or house, to marriage vows, to enrolling in college or accepting
a job. While some are more formal than others, we are constantly
entering into “covenant” agreements to fulfill a commitment.
When
we make a covenant, there are certain expectations on both sides. Your
spouse expects you to be there “for richer or poorer, in sickness and
in health” – for the rest of your life – and you expect the same in
return! Your boss expects you to show up for work every day and do what
is required of you…and you anticipate fair treatment and a paycheck.
When you enroll in college, you count on learning something that will
help you to grow and develop in certain areas of expertise…and the
school of higher learning assumes that you will pay your tuition and
attend the classes!
There are traditional covenants, like
marriage agreements, the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians, and the
“swearing in” of public officials, law enforcement and military
personnel. Even elected officials and religious leaders take an “Oath
of Office” and promise to uphold the tenets or bylaws of the group that
they serve. But there are less formal covenants that are in many ways
just as binding. If I join an organization, the group anticipates my
support and participation in its activities – whether it is a club, a
church, or a local softball team, exercise class, or Bible study!
Even
more importantly, when we accept Salvation through Jesus Christ and
invite Him to dwell in our heart, we have created a covenant - a “blood
covenant” if you will. Jesus shed His blood to pay for our sins…and
when we accept His gift of Salvation, we commit to honor Him…to love Him
above all others…to serve Him with our whole heart, according to His
will.
A lot of people seem to gloss over this part of the
“covenant.” They willingly accept Jesus’ redemption…they are more than
happy to claim to be a Christian and a pardon that assures reprieve from
the fires of hell and promises eternal Paradise. But they give no
consideration to holding up their end of the agreement.
When we
default on a loan, break a covenant with our spouse, or fail to attend
classes and pay tuition…or even when we don’t attend the meetings and
actively participate in an organization to which we belong…there are
consequences. We might even be removed from the group…”exiled” in some
way. Thankfully, Jesus does not go this far…but He does hang His head
in shame and disappointment. We can’t just SAY we are Christians and
then go about our old, sinful, uncommitted lives…or we shouldn’t. This
does not reflect the “blood covenant”…nor does it honor our Savior.
It’s
not a matter of worrying about whether we will go to Heaven or
Hell…this is about commitment to Jesus…honor and respect…love and
appreciation for the One who has given us EVERYTHING. Have you truly
made a “blood covenant” with Christ? Are you making a point…or making a
difference? Did you just want the “get out of Hell” ticket…or are you
all in with Jesus? There a huge difference between these two
options…which one have you chosen?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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