The Covenant that Is Better Than Life

UV 1672/10000 The Covenant that Is Better than Life
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
Isaiah 54 v 10

This uni-verse affirms the unshakeable and irrevocable commitment of the Lord to His relationship with us. Even the mountains and hills that seem so imposing and unshakeable can be brought down but the covenant of God’s peace with us cannot be broken or shaken or altered. This covenant brings us the promise of eternal mercy, peace and kindness of the Lord. The mediator of this everlasting covenant is Jesus who by His death paid for our unrighteousness, became the price to obtain eternal mercy for us. The mediator of the first covenant was Moses but the conditions of that covenant as well as the promises of that covenant were surpassed by the better promises of the everlasting covenant mediated by Jesus. He has made our salvation sure and certain. The conditions of the first covenant lapsed but the promises passed on and were fulfilled in and through the new covenant of peace with God through Jesus. The first covenant was sealed from time to time by the blood of animals while the new covenant was sealed forever by the blood of the blemishless Lamb of God- Jesus.

Now that we are so sure of so great a salvation in contrast to an earth and everything in it that will one day perish including all the symbols of greatness and power, we should be righteous and blameless in all manner of conversation and conduct. Our perspective is eternal and lofty, not mundane and worldly. We should think, speak and do all that is noble, pure, beautiful, praiseworthy, excellent and in keeping with our covenant of peace with the Lord. We should not place our faith or trust in a mediator other than Christ. We should not “stare” or worry about our needs, of how it will be met or about our security or our future.

We are confident and secure not because of who we are or what we have but on account of who we know and His covenant or sacred and inviolable personal accord with us. We experience first, His mercy that gives us a clean slate again and again, despite our messing up things. Then, we experience His peace through His presence with us and finally, His kindness through the fulfilment of His promises. Even the best laws or programs or management and leadership literature of man cannot promise us these three: mercy, peace and everlasting goodness of the Lord. This is the reason I seek to integrate writing on management and leadership with the truths of His Word. Who does not need mercy, peace and everlasting kindness? Who can guarantee it except the Lord? If we choose to exclude the Lord from our thought and life, we exclude mercy, peace and love from our lives. The Psalmist says, “ His loving kindness is better than life” for it transports our souls and spirits to the eternal and abundant plane.

Prateep V Philip