OUR AMAZING COVENANT

HEBREWS 8:10-12 NKJ 
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 

The word covenant can mean a divine order or agreement.  When we think of our covenant with God, it's based on what Jesus has done, not our efforts.  God has given us a divine agreement established through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.   

Our part of this divine agreement is to believe it and act on it.   

In the three verses for today, we see some amazing things in God's divine agreement with us.   

The laws and commandments of God are now part of our hearts, our inner man.  There has been a spiritual change, and this new covenant is much more about the heart.   

We have a God, and we are His people.  If you ever thought that the Jews were God's chosen people and you were left out, think again.  We as believers in Christ, are the people of God.   

We all have the capacity to know God.  This, at face value, is pretty amazing.  Everyone can grow in their knowledge of God.  He becomes accessible to all who call on Him.  Not just preachers or high visibility ministers.   

And wait, there's more!  God will be merciful to our faults and failures and will not remember our sins.  In the old divine agreement, the Jewish men had to appear before the priest every year to offer a sacrifice for sins.  Every year, no skipping or leap years.  Every year there was a reminder of their sinful condition.  But the new covenant does away with the yearly reminder.  Now when we sin, we can receive God's forgiveness, make the necessary changes and move on. What freedom in knowing that God is no longer keeping score.  What an amazing covenant.   

APPLICATION 

How do we apply these spiritual truths?  One of the best ways is to acknowledge that these things are true and apply to our lives.   

We are God's people with a new heart and a new start.  We can grow in our knowledge of God and rejoice in His mercy.   

So, the best way to apply these truths is to accept these truths by faith.   

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank You for my covenant with You.  It is real and provides very real benefits for me.