After observing Abram for another fourteen years, the Lord made a deeper, more detailed commitment by converting his covenant to an everlasting covenant and, to emphasize his promise, changing Abram’s name to Abraham. Abram means “Exalted Father” while Abraham means “Father of a Multitude.”
Read More covenant, baptism, commitment
The way Jesus cared for people, healing their sickness and freeing them from bondage, not only demonstrated His great love for them. It also fulfilled Isaiah’s 600 year old prophecy that he would heal our diseases and make us well. It was another sign that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah.
Read More prophecy, commitment, JesusWhen a man and a woman enter into marriage, the commitment is for life. “…And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together” (v 6).
Jesus left Galilee for Judea, where he came upon a group of Pharisees. Verse 3 says that the Pharisees wanted to test Jesus on the subject of marriage and divorce.
Read More commitment, marriage, divorceOn his way to Judea, Jesus crossed the Jordan seizing opportunities to heal and teach about the kingdom of God as he traveled. Large crowds followed him. Likely, people were heading for Jerusalem to observe the Passover.
Threatened by his popularity, some of the Pharisees wanted to test Jesus in hopes that they could trip him up and discredit him.
Read More commitment, divorce, PhariseesI recently attended a gripping and all too realistic live production portraying the Easter story. As I watched the crazed crowds screaming for Jesus’ crucifixion spit and hiss on my beloved, bloodied Saviour, something horrified me. The crowd contained exactly the same cast of people who, earlier in the production, had cheered and waved branches as they welcomed their “Saviour” into Jerusalem.
From jubilant welcome to jeering condemnation. What happened?
Read More strength, commitment, fickleness, horrorThere are certain times in life when we gather together as communities to remember or celebrate certain events, be they graduations, weddings, anniversaries and even funerals. It is a time to celebrate accomplishment or remember a life well lived. Once the land has been conquered in Israel, Joshua calls the people together. Joshua understands human nature. He has led the Israelites for many years and has seen how quickly they turn against God and blame him when things don’t seem to be going their way.
Read More commitment, commemoration, communityWhen the people of Israel commit themselves to God, Joshua knows that they may quickly turn against him, as they have in the past. He knows that they might be carried away by the excitement of the moment, as we sometimes are at exciting conferences or concerts. Therefore, Joshua marks their commitment with a huge stone. Every time the people see the stone they will be reminded of their commitment.
Read More commitment, reminderEven though David and Jonathan had remarkable chemistry together, their friendship was severely tested by their mutual relationship with Jonathan’s father, King Saul.
Good friends don’t hide their differences and struggles from each other. David and Jonathan put their differing perspectives “on the table”. For David, it was a matter of life and death. They did not argue or debate unnecessarily; instead they decided to invite God to show them the path they should take.
Read More covenant, friendship, commitmentWeddings are incredible occasions. A while back, I officiated at my son’s wedding. What an enormous moment, leading two young people in love through their vows to love, honour, and cherish one another, no matter what comes their way. The promises a couple makes on their wedding day are almost shocking in their boldness.
It would be even more shocking, though, if a couple didn’t make those promises to each other on their wedding day.
Read More love, commitment, discipleshipMany of the narratives from David’s life humble me. What can I do to be more like this person who often displayed a heart that was totally committed to God and to living in a way that brought honour to his Lord.
In this text we see David making much ado about something many of us might miss. He was a busy person. He was the king of the nation. He was the commander of the army.
Read More commitment, faithfulness, honour