ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Everlasting Covenant"

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Once God has made a covenant with us, He does not break His word. We may go back on our word, but He will never, ever go back on His; Why? Because He is Faithful and True! He is faithful to what He has established, and He is true to His word. Let's take a look for a moment at this little illustration found in Luke 8:22-25; which by the way is also in Matthew and Mark also; I am using Luke because it is more direct and to the point. Here we see Jesus getting into a boat with His disciples, and He says: "Let us go over unto the other side of the lake."; so they launch out, heading for the other side. As they sailed out to go across, Jesus goes to sleep, being tired from ministering to many, and then comes a storm of wind on the lake and the boat was filling with water. The disciples panic, for they fear that their lives are in jeopardy; Jesus on the other hand, continued to sleep. So they come to Him, waking Him up, and say: "Master, Master, we perish."; so He rose up and rebuked the storm. The wind and the waves ceased, and there was a calm; and then He asked them this: "Where is your faith?". Why did Jesus not care about the storm and continued to sleep through it? Because, He said, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake"; not let's try to go over; or if the Father wills, we will get to the other side. No, He said, "We are going over to the other side"; for Him the storm was just a lullaby to help Him sleep; to the disciples the storm was a disaster. This is the difference between two different worlds; one world is of the Spirit, while the other world is of the flesh. In one world the promises of God matter, they stand for Truth, and they are taken literally as meaning what they say. In the other world, they are surrounded by maybe, and doubt; if only I can make it through this storm; or that His word does not apply to us, or in our situation. This is the type of Living that I am talking about. The type that believes God's Word is True and Faithful; that believes when He says, "I am going to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you shall be also.", He means it. It is that old saying, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!"; what ever happen to that saying?; it really does not seem to be used as much as it once was. I am beginning to think that many of us have bought into the notion of: 'Could, Should, Would'; instead of : 'Can, Shalt, Will'. Where we put more merit into the things we see happening to us and around us, then into the promises of God. I think it may have something to do with how we see God; how we view Him in the relationship to this that we see. It also has a lot to do with how we view ourselves, and in the relationship we are in with Him. When Jesus said, "I will never leave you, or forsake you"; He meant it! When He said, "Come unto me you who are weary, and I will give you rest"; He meant it! When He said, "I go to prepare a place for you"; He meant that too! So, if we know that these things are true, then why would we let a little storm cause us to feel devastated. I know people who actually pay good money to ride in boats that get tossed and turned in the water. If we know where we will end up, why can't we just try and enjoy the ride? I think the reason that we do not feel comfort in times of trouble, is because we are so focused on ourselves; on our needs, our wants, and our worldly comforts; but this stuff is sinking fast, and if we focus on these, we are in for disaster. We must be focused on Jesus, His promises, and where it is that He said we are going; knowing that no matter what, "He said it, I believe it, and that settles it!!!". "Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. If that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us, even eternal life." (1 John 2:24 & 25)