I think I have this in an earlier entry, but this is to look forward to the New Year.
Abraham walked with God because he "believed" that God existed, believed that God would keekp the promises for a son, and went where God led him. When Isaac was a young lad, God reckoned Abraham's faith as righteousness, and He requested that Abraham offer his son as a sacrifice to prove his faith. Abraham proved that he would do anything that God requested of him because he believed God would be faithful to His promises, and God spared the life of Isaac. After his testing, God entered into a covenant with Abraham. God made several promises as His part of the covenant, and Abraham was to circumcise all males in his houshold and all male children on the eighth day born in his household. All who were circumcised, were under the covenant promises, but those not circumcised would be excluded from the covenant.
Now, we who are of the "faith", as the faith of Abraham, under the royal law of Christ's blood (He is the one we are to "hear" and "answer to") enter into a covenant relationship with God (under Christ's blood in baptism) when we "believe" that God is, and that He is a rewarder of all those who "seek" Him, and that Jesus is the Son of God; God gives us, by His grace (granting us Peace) which is His good will toward man (and we learn this by knowlede of God's perfect Will), promises of everlasting life with Him and we are to enter into that covenant relationship by baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which is representative of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and then to rise from the waters to walk circumspectly, worthy to be called a son of God in His righteousness through the blood of His Son, our redeemer. All those who are baptized are under the covenant relationship, and those who are not baptized are excluded from that covenant.
We are now facing a New Year, with the opertunity to "seek His Kingdom" and to "answer a good conscience:" by yielding to His Call to reconcilliation to be added to Christ's Body, which is the church. Then to move on toward becoming the child of God as He wants us to be, reading and learning to walk in His paths of righteousnes. Will this be the year that America, as a nation, will bow the knee before God, and accept His Good Will toward us? Will this be the year America will once again seek to be a "Nation under God" as our founding fathers set it up?
Our New Year's resolutions: what will they be?
Our New Year's resolutions: what will they be?
