by Kevin Burton
He never sleeps, He never slumbers. He never fails to deliver His best blessings to you.
God’s promises ring out from every book of the Bible, and not because we deserve any good thing. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us to secure our future with Him.
So why not declare anew, before Him and before others, the covenant you entered into when you gave your heart to Christ?
Consider carefully believer. Is this not your duty, your honor?
Married couples renew their vows, this is quite common and it strengthens the bond between husbands and wives. Why not take the time to acknowledge and strengthen the eternal bond you have entered into with the God of Heaven?
No time is a bad time to refresh your devotion to God. But there are particular times in life when this is called for. We get this reminder today from Alistair Begg, speaker on the Truth For Life radio ministry,
“There are many occasions in our experience when we may very rightly, and with benefit, renew our covenant with God. After recovery from sickness when, like Hezekiah, we have had a new lease of years added to our life, we may do so appropriately,” Begg writes.
“After any deliverance from trouble, when our joys spring forth anew, let us again visit the foot of the cross and renew our consecration. Especially let us do this after any sin that has grieved the Holy Spirit or brought dishonor upon the cause of God; let us then look to that blood that can make us whiter than snow and again offer ourselves to the Lord.”
On that note, let us hear a message from the prophet Joel. “So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm (Joel 2:13 NKJV).
Be quick believer, to praise God when we meet with prosperity and let the world know what God has done for us.
“We should not only let our troubles confirm our dedication to God, but our prosperity should do the same,” Begg writes. “If we ever meet with occasions that deserve to be called crowning mercies, then surely, if He has crowned us, we ought also to crown our God; let us bring out again all the jewels of the divine regalia that have been stored in the jewel-closet of our heart, and let our God sit upon the throne of our love, arrayed in royal apparel.”
“If we could learn to profit by our prosperity, we would not need to face so much adversity. If we would gather from a kiss all the good it might confer upon us, we would not have to bear the imprint of punishment so often,” Begg writes.
“Have we recently received some blessing that we hadn’t expected? Has the Lord opened our way? Can we sing of mercies multiplied? Then this is the day to put our hand upon the horns of the altar and say, ‘Bind me here, my God; bind me here with cords, even forever.’”
“Just as we need the fulfillment of new promises from God, let us offer renewed prayers that our old vows may not be dishonored. This morning let us make with Him a firm covenant because of the sacrifice of Jesus that we have been considering with gratitude for the last month.”
It’s to my shame that I have needed this reminder more than once over the years. If today you need it too, form that humble prayer from the heart. Go back to basics if need be.
Keeping focus on God, and not the chaos around you, renew that covenant that set you on the right track – God’s track – in the first place.
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2: 14-15 NKJV).
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