Saturday, August 13, 2016

Attributes, Attitudes and Anchors

UV 2040/10000 Attributes, Attitudes and Anchors
Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Deuteronomy 7 v 9

The covenant is a key concept of faith and of our lives. It is the equivalent of an eternal bond or marriage with the Lord that lasts far beyond our physical lives. We need to know or in other words explore and experience in the course of our lives that God is faithful, merciful and holy. He is a covenant- making and covenant- keeping God. He deals with people who are committed to Him, who love Him and His word, in accordance with the terms of His promises and commands. Hence, it is vital that we know the terms of the covenant with the Lord by delving deep into the word with the help or enablement of the Holy Spirit. In contrast to the Lord’s attributes that are unchanging , our attitudes are changing all the time like mercury at room temperature. We are sometimes loving and faithful and when it suits us loveless and faithless. Throughout our lives, our attitudes are pitted against the attributes of the Lord. The faithfulness of the Lord to His covenant promises and the priority He gives to the law of His word regulating our lives are the hope of our lives and the anchors that lend stability to our lives. His love is infinite like an unbounded sea. Our lives are like boats floating on that sea. Just like fishermen anchor their boats on the high sea to catch fish, we need to anchor our lives in the love of the Lord.

God is not just a force but a person who loves us. He is intimately involved in the details of our lives. Our capacity to love and relate to others is derived from Him. We need to know Him as the One who declared that “ I am who I am.” We need to know Him as our personal all powerful Lord and loving Saviour. We need to know Him as a faithful person who stays true to every word He has spoken, as a person who keeps His commitments to all people. We need to know Him as a merciful person. He is slow to anger but quick to forgive. Our short lives on earth are meant to discover these attributes of the Lord and experience it personally.

If a generation is taken as standing for fifty years, the uni-verse states that the Lord is faithful and merciful to a thousand generations or for as long as 50000 years. If this be so, why should we worry about a mere 50 to 100 years that we live on earth? The only conditions to this amazing promise being fulfilled are that we are in a relationship of love with the Lord, implying that we believe Him and His Word and give highest priority to doing His will and obeying His commands and follow His precepts. When we truly believe that such a person is God and that He is in charge of our lives, we can be still. We can relax. We can let go of all the fears and inhibitions we have.

Prateep V Philip

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