covenant relationship with God

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Every human being has to go through the search and struggle of wondering who God made them to be and for what purpose. No one is excluded. But, God put it within your DNA, the hunger and desire to search for Him and His reason for our life’s purpose. And within our search, God works to reveal Himself to you through His Word and His Holy Spirit living within you!

In Part One of this two-part devotional on discovering who God really made you to be, we read in from Hosea 14:1-2 (NLT2) where God revealed the answer to that question, and in many other places in the Bible. He started speaking to the Israelites—His people by addressing them saying… “O Israel…” Those words mean far more than what appears on the surface. Those words were powerful words which mean the power and strength to rule as God. When God was saying “O Israel” he was saying You who I’ve called to rule the earth in the strength of God. But there is even more to the meaning than that. They also mean the people who I established a covenant with and gave power and strength to influence this world in God’s ways for all generations! Think about that! That is what God named these people! He called them to be powerful influencers! Why? Because they were to become His leaders to influence all of mankind to learn and know God. They were to be a light to all people. The ones to show them God’s love, His ways, and God’s power in this earth.”

Just like anyone might, they had trouble grasping that God would use anyone to that degree. They approached discovering who they were supposed to be like anyone else. They looked in the mirror and inside themselves for their answers. But, what most saw was that they were ordinary sinners who weren’t capable of much more than becoming like every other people group they were surrounded by. They were caught up in their sin, weaknesses, and failures, and in the cultures around them, and in their own daily pressures of life. Instead of representing God with lives of power and influence, they lived self-centered mediocre lives filled with sin and complacency with their only purpose being to survive. They became a despised people and became a joke to the world.

What did God say to them regarding all this? “O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity…” God was crying out for them to come back to be who He created them to be. He then said, “Take words with you, And return to the LORD…” “Take words” means take my counsel. He told them, “Return to Me.” He then told them how. He said to pray, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously.” God is the one who at this point said, “Ask me to take away your sins and receive me by my grace.” Grace is the undeserved blessing of God given from His heart of love and mercy as a free gift. He wanted to grace them with forgiveness so they could move forward as His influencers in the earth.

He then told them one more powerful thing to do. He told them to say, “For we will offer the sacrifice of our lips.” That meant they would begin to praise Him for everything He was, for everything He had done in the past for His people, and for all He yet promised to do. Why was this important? Because this praise would help stir them to want to know more about their purpose and heritage!

“Who am I?” is further answered in Psalms 95:7 NIV which says, “For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear His voice.”

If Jesus has become your Lord, then like Israel, you are His people. You aren’t just another guy or gal on the block or in the workplace. You are someone who God established a covenant with through Jesus Christ. You are someone whom through His Holy Spirit, gives you power within to say Yes to what is good and right and No to what isn’t. You are someone He gave the power and strength to become an influencer and world changer. That is who we are in Christ. Is that hard for you to believe? Most things God reveals to us about who we are in Him, are astounding to believe. Do you think Noah wasn’t astounded? Do you think Moses wasn’t astounded? Do you think Abraham wasn’t astounded? We are all astounded at the thought that God wants to use us. But it’s true and the only way you will get to know who you really are! And the rest of your story is summed up in these next verses!

Acts 26:16-18 (NIV) “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people…. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” So… It’s time to take your place. Now you know who you are to be. Now you know the path to get there. And now you know that God is in covenant with you—something He cannot break or leave unfilled. This is who He has called you to be. So begin!

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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