My People

Jeremiah 31: 33

I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Relationship; that is what this whole Christianity thing is about. At a very basic level Christianity is not a religion. Religion is what happens after people believe in our Father but the fundamental desire of our Father is not to be worshiped and served. His fundamental purpose is to be in relationship with us and to provide the means by which we can be in relationship with Him. The reason Jesus came to the earth was to restore that “way” to the Father for us. Jesus is “the way” (John 14: 6). By and through him we travel back into a close, personal relationship with the Lord, our God.

A relationship of any kind requires input by more than one person. In other words, relationships require two-way communication; give and take. Many Christians have a very one dimensional connection with the Lord. We can have so much more and it is God’s desire that we do. As we open our minds to what it means to develop a good relationship with another person, we begin to also open our hearts to what it means to do the same with our Father God. As we open our hearts and minds to Him, He is better able to direct us and thus lead us into a deep and meaningful relationship with Him. He really will teach you all kinds of things about walking with Him like Adam and Eve walked with Him in the Garden of Eden. As we treat him as a person of value rather than as a distant God, we will really move into an intimate place with Him and I can think of nothing greater than that.

The New Covenant

Jeremiah 31: 33

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days”, declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Have you ever wondered what the “New Covenant” with God is? First of all, let’s understand what a covenant is. The American Heritage Dictionary defines covenant as: a binding agreement made by two or more persons or parties; a compact; contract. 2. A solemn agreement or vow made by members of a church to defend and support its faith and doctrine. 3. Theology. God’s promises to man, as recorded in the Old and New Testaments. 4. A formal sealed agreement or contract. Our covenant with God is a sacred contract, if you will, a binding agreement between humanity and God. It is a reciprocal agreement wherein each party has its obligations and benefits. Our part is to be His people. Wow, that is an obligation which actually is a benefit in itself. If there were no terms other than that, we would win. We get to be His people. However, there are other obligations upon God which confer benefit unto us. He is obligated to be our God. If I will be His, then He has no option but to be mine. He is bound. That is powerful. You have the power to bind God to you such that He has no choice but to be your God. Do you see that? But wait, there is more. He has the affirmative duty to write all of His Word, knowledge and wisdom on your heart. Again, He has no choice. He has bound Himself by His Word and He has not the power to lie or to break His Word. Therefore, when you accept Yahweh as your God He moves into your heart and inscribes all that He is there.

Everything that Jesus is or did; everything he accomplished is alive inside of you right now. In John 14: 23 Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word and my Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.” And where do they live? Ephesians 3: 17 says that Christ dwells in our hearts. That is where the Word is written and Jesus is the Word. It really does all make sense. When Jesus said that He and the Father would come live in us He was echoing what the Father said in Jeremiah. Jesus knew what the New Covenant was. He heard God speak about the New Covenant and His plans for His people. Our only obligation is that we love Jesus. If we love Him, if we have a heart condition of affection for Jesus, an emotional response to who he is, then the entire trinity with all wisdom, power and grace will come live inside us and be our constant friend and helper. We give God our hearts and He gives us everything. That is the New Covenant. What a deal. No lawyer on earth has ever brokered a deal this good yet God gave it freely. What a Great and benevolent Father we have.