New Year Covenant

What a winter it has been - we've been snowed-in in South Carolina for the past two days - how can that be? This is South Carolina for heaven's sake! The ice age has returned - wooly mammoths are around the corner chased by sabertooth tigers. I'd better get my spear sharpened and my traps set.

Our hosts have told us that we have to leave - we bring bad weather with us where-ever we go!

This past Sunday evening we attended a special covenant renewal service. We've had the fortune to attend this special service two different years. The teaching by Sinclair Ferguson came from Lamentations 3:22-27 with the following points:

1. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

2. God's mercies are unending and they are new every morning

3. His faithfulness is so very great.

This was after contextualizing this book, which was written after Jerusalem had fallen to the Babylonians, and the world as they knew it had completely ended. The unthinkable had happened; the judgement of God had come.

The message focus was on God's faithfulness, and with that we renewed the following covenant that I would like to challenge our readers with as well:

THE COVENANT

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will,

Place me with whom you will.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering;

Let me be employed for your or laid aside for you,

Exalted for you or brought low for you.

Let me be full, let me be empty;

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

To your pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

You are mine and I am yours. May it be so!

And may the covenant which I have made

here on earth

Be confirmed in heaven.

Amen.

May this be your covenant and prayer for this new year.

Dave & Ann

"Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see:

All I have needed thy hand has provided

Great is they faithfulness, Lord, unto me."

from the hymn we all know.....