The Power Generator

UV 1103/10,000 The Power Generator As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah 59 v 21
The Lord God condescends to make agreements with mortal and sinful mankind. If He has made it with one, He has made it with all of us. He made a covenant with Abraham that out of his descendants, He would make a nation and a community of nations. “ A nation” refers to Israel, son of his God-given heir Isaac while a community of nations refers to the nations that descended from Ishmael, son of Abraham through Sarah’s slave Hagar. A treaty is normally agreed to by royalty or heads of state. God represented His Kingdom and the heavenly realms. Abraham represented the earthly realm. An agreement is made to normally benefit both parties consenting to it. But God is a benefactor- He gives us many benefits without charging us the cost. He only wants to share His power and love with His heirs and princes by faith. Abraham benefitted by being regarded as a prince among men. He was respected even by the king of Sodom and other contemporary chiefs of tribes and kingdoms. A prince is someone who is descended from a king and who by definition follows certain lofty principles, who rules, leads, governs a number of people according to these principles. God sent His Word and His words not to impoverish us and make us paupers but to transform us into princes of peace, princes of light, princes of His people. God re-confirmed His covenant with mankind through His dealings with Israel led by Moses. It is more proper to call the old testament that documents God’s direct dealing with mankind as the first covenant rather than the old covenant. It is not as if the first covenant got eroded with aging through time or that any of its principles, precepts and promises are worn out or invalid today. These are just as valid, alive, active and useful in our lives as they were in the time of Abraham and Moses.
The new covenant that came through Christ did not replace the first covenant- it is part II of the divine agreement. The first covenant is a revelation of God’s power and supremacy over satan, the princes and powers of darkness and all earthly powers. The second covenant is a revelation of God’s grace and mercy. Part II of the divine agreement is an elaboration of God’s plan for man, wider in its ambit as it covers all of mankind and not just the nation of Israel. The first covenant God wrote on stone with His own finger while the second He still writes individual heart by heart, day by day with the Holy Spirit. What He has written as a personal to each one of us should not be forgotten or ignored but remembered day to day. It should be consumed as daily bread, spoken of and shared with other of our generation and the next generation as well as those coming after them forever.
This uni-verse is both a commitment from our side to stay faithful to our covenant relationship and to the commandments of the Lord through three generations for that’s as far as we can see as well as an eternal commitment by the Lord to stay faithful to His Word and His promises to us. The covenant needs to be renewed on our side by each individual in each generation. It takes sand, cement, jelly stones and water to mix to form concrete. Similarly, it takes a mix of the words of God, our faith, a specific and practical situation and the inspiration and interpretation of the Holy Spirit translating the words of language into the words of the Spirit of God to edify and build us up. The other day I learnt at a meeting that a framed concrete structure is built to last at least 75 to 90 years as against a load bearing structure that lasts only 30 years. So also the Spirit as the architect of the Lord mixes our faith with the Word to build us up through three generations, to cause us to rule as little princes of peace, inheriting our rights and privileges to rule over the principalities and powers of darkness. As long as the good promises of God do not leave our mouths and our faith leave our hearts, the Lord will not forsake or leave us. The Word is a power generator. It will generate power as well as discipline in our lives. The promises will generate blessings for our succeeding generations.
Prateep V Philip