Know The Lord

I live squarely in the “Bible Belt” in the United States. This is a informal region of the country that features a large number of “church goin’” “Bible believing” people. It’s located in South Eastern and South Central part of the US.  It seems to me that most people where I live know of the Lord. I was speaking to a pastor in Arizona about a week ago and he said that 95% of the people in his area don’t even know of the Lord. I’ve lived in the Bible Belt my whole life and it’s hard for me to comprehend things differently. I’ve known about the Lord my whole life, but I’ve really known Him for about 36 years. I was 20 years old when I decided that I really did believe in God – not just because my parents or grandparents believed – I felt His Presence in my heart and my convictions began to take shape.

The Hebrew writer gives a bit of history of the Story of God and His people. He explains the new covenant a bit. Check this out…

¹⁰ For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
¹¹ And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,
and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least to the greatest of them.
¹² For I will forgive their wrongdoing,
and I will never again remember their sins.

¹³ By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away. (Hebrews 8:10-13 CSB) (v 8-12 is a reference to Jeremiah 31)

The Lord’s new covenant involves my mind and my heart. He has put His Law in my mind and heart. He didn’t do that without my cooperation, although He could have. The Lord want to know all His Creation. He will not force His way into my heart or mind.  The more I know the Lord, the more I want to know. His ways are higher and way more complex than my mind can comprehend, but I still want to know Him more profoundly.

He reveals more of Himself to me in His Word than any other place. I believe that His Word connects the Creation to today. I can’t always explain the Lord, but I want to continue to walk with Him and He explains Himself.

I’m so thankful for this new covenant because it introduced Grace. The Old Covenant featured simple justice. The new covenant features a complicated, yet simple concept called Grace. Under the old covenant, I would have probably died 40 years ago. I’ve been forgiven too many times to count. I’ve been restored by Him. I can’t really explain grace properly, but I’m a recipient of it. I’m so thankful.

Pressing On!

Dwayne