By Edward Ho
Brian at the age of nineteen had an accident in which he was severely burned beyond recognition; he also lost two arms and a leg. In his hospital room, his fiancée said to him, Darling, I wish to marry you as soon as possible, and move into our new home. The young lady’s love is admirable, but can they have any future?
At the present, some young married couples who face problems in the area of health, beauty, income, and changing attitudes decide to divorce. They don’t want to continue to adhere wholeheartedly to the original set of marriage vows.
Yes, it is easy to make a vow but it’s difficult to keep the vow. Today, civil contracts, as well as international contracts, are hard to keep because people care too much their own interests. We see how deception and breach of contract often result in broken contracts.
In contrast, contacts that are established with people by God are very special. Have you ever heard of God making a contract with people? The Bible says that God not only made a contract with the people, but that the contract was “eternal.” This means that contracts that God makes are always effective. Today, you can also sign a contract with God. And for generations to come, other people can examine the facts to see whether or not God is compliant with the contract.
Let’s look at two examples. In ancient times there was a global flood. After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah, and said that in the future there would never again be a global flood. From Noah to the present time, the world has not seen a true global flood.
Four thousand years ago God made a covenant with Abraham, and said that he would be the father of many nations. God said that he would be his God and the God of his children and grandchildren forever. God said that this was an eternal covenant.
Four thousand years have passed, and today, of the world’s 192 countries, the people of fifty-five countries claim Abraham as their ancestor. This is just as God agreed with Abraham—that he would be the father of many nations.
The people of these fifty-five countries believe in three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These three religions all believe in the same God—they all believe in the God who created the universe and all things—that is, the same God who made the covenant with Abraham. During all these four thousand-plus years, God complied with everything in the covenant.
God also told Abraham that he would have a descendant, one person, from whom all people would obtain blessing. In this case “all people” includes you and me. Who is this descendant of Abraham from whom even you and I can be blessed? It is Jesus is the Son of God.
Friends, the relationship between Jesus and you is very important, because God established a covenant with the world through Jesus. This covenant says that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Friends, this is an “eternal covenant” that you and I must sign, because the loss is too great not to believe in Jesus. If we don’t believe in Jesus we loose the grace of leaving sin. We also give up the constant help of God in our lives. Brian and his wife profoundly experienced the help that comes from God.
Brian married his fiancée after the fire, and today they are the parents of two children. Through Jesus and the God who establishes covenants, whenever Brian’s wife looks at him, she doesn’t see a disabled husband. She sees Brian’s heart where the hands of Jesus are Brian’s hands and the feet of Jesus are Brian’s feet. God’s love sets the atmosphere of this home. Friends, this kind of love and courage are available through Jesus. This is the eternal covenant that God can give to you. Do you want to sign it?!