If I were a poet or a musician, I would write a beautiful poem or song about how my love affair with You, oh Lord, is not like falling in love, which I’ve done before. Several times before, really. My love affair with you is not an uncontrollable free fall but there is no doubt in my mind this will never be over. If I were a poet or musician, I would write a poem or song about how I’ve not lost my heart, my soul, or anything else, but nonetheless I am never going back to my life before. I’ve weighed the pros and cons, I’ve counted the cost. I thought about every possibility for the future. I have logically, calmly, and thoughtfully decided that, despite all the drawbacks, I want to follow Christ with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. It was not a free-fall or falling in love but I will never change my mind. I’m in it for life.
When God told Abraham he would be the father of a great nation, back in the beginning of Genesis, He made a covenant with him: “You, Abraham, obey Me. Circumcise your sons; worship Me; love Me. And I will make your family into a great nation and through you and your descendants the entire world will be blessed.” The covenant was sealed with blood and applied to generation upon generation.
When God sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins, He made a new covenant. This covenant had been anticipated for generations and generations, ever since God and Abraham had discussed the future under a night sky. The terms of the covenant were simple: “You obey Me; worship Me; love Me. And I will forgive your sins, and reconcile you with Me for all eternity.” It’s logical, sensible, and the only logical, sensible thing to do is to accept God’s terms as He laid them out.
