In Isaiah 55:3, God was speaking of His son Jesus when he said, “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” This covenant in Isaiah is the ultimate covenant of love. When Israel turned its’ collective back on our Creator, God sent Jesus in the world to establish a covenant of love that would last forever, a covenant sealed with His own blood.
The Church of Jesus Christ is established on this covenant of love. God covenanted with us to redeem us by the blood of Jesus Christ, not because of what we could do for Him, but because of His love for us. So, what is our part in this covenant?
Jesus was once asked a similar question. When queried by a supposed expert on contract law about the greatest commandment, Jesus said in Matthew 22:37, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” In reality, that’s a relatively easy thing to do. How can we do any less than love a God of such mercy and grace? That’s the contract part, we love Him because he first loved us.
But Jesus didn’t stop there. He added these words in verse 39, “and the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s the covenant part. Loving others is about vulnerability. Loving others is about commitment that transcends circumstances. Loving others is about sacrificing our good for the good of someone else. And Jesus says in John 13:35 that it is this kind of love that shows the world we belong to Him.
On this Valentine’s Day, the love of your life wants to see how much you love him/her. But every day, the world needs to see how much we love Him by how much we love them. God keeps His covenant of love. How about you?
-Mike Johnson