“Lord, the God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of
love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.” 2
Chronicles 6:14
This
is how King Solomon started his prayer of dedication at the opening of the New
Temple in Jerusalem. His words touch on
both sides of God’s covenant relationship with his chosen people. God keeps his end of the covenant and his
people walk in it with all their heart. To disobey any part of God’s Law would
invite divine retribution (Deuteronomy 7:9-12 & 30:15-20). Being perfect in
every way, there was never any question as to whether God would honor his
covenant. The question has always been
would his people serve Him with total dedication? To this very day the question remains the
same.
In
God there is no shadow of turning (James 1:17), no variableness. He always remains the same. He is the only
constant in a sea of inconsistency.
There should never be any question as to whether God can be trusted or
counted on to do what He has promised in His word to do. His character bears out the familiar phrase
“God said it, I believe and that settles it.”
The variable in all this is our earnest and wholehearted obedience to
His word. We live under God’s umbrella
of grace. The Law is no longer enforced,
therefore we are no longer bound by it, but our obedience causes us to follow
it as a natural part of living a Christ-like life.
God’s
undeserved favor gives us the freedom to live as we choose with the understanding
that salvation should have ignited our “want to” regarding serving the One who
saved us from our sins. This is glorious
news to the believer. We are saved from
our own natural tendency to do the wrong thing and now strive to live each day
for our Lord & Savior. Never lose
sight of who you truly are in Christ.
Live for Him because you can, not because you feel you have to.
Until Christ returns, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resource: The
Reformation Study Bible.
