So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
—Genesis 22:14
And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.
—2 Kings 23:3
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
—Romans 6:4
My wife and I sometimes watch episodes of a television show that follows people who are moving from one country to another and are looking for a new home. Each episode features a family who makes their move for a variety of reasons: job opportunities, lifestyle interests such as skiing or surfing, ancestral connections, education, and so on.
In a recurring theme across episodes, the reasons for the move influence the choices that the families make about location. They may want to be near school, near stores and restaurants, near nature, and so on.
Another frequent theme shows them having to deal with change; things are different in the new country! Those differences may involve the use of space (vertically as well as horizontally!), furnishings, and presence or absence of various conveniences. They may even be faced with learning a new language.
We sometimes hear people say, "But I need..." when it is obvious that they really are saying, "I am used to..." Of course, the success stories show people who have adjusted to a new way of daily life in the new home in the new country.
Abraham went where the Lord called him to go. The going wasn't always easy. Being there was sometimes very hard. But the Lord called him to be where the blessings would be provided.
Josiah was a king, but placed himself under covenant with the Lord—King above kings—to walk in His ways. And he led others to join in that covenant to the Lord, not to himself. And that meant making changes.
And Paul's letter to the believers in Rome challenges us to consider the change of kingdom as total and permanent as death: walking in a new life in a new kingdom.
Walking in His Kingdom
Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
and teach me your rules.
—Psalm 119:108
So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
—Genesis 22:14
And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.
—2 Kings 23:3
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
—Romans 6:4
My wife and I sometimes watch episodes of a television show that follows people who are moving from one country to another and are looking for a new home. Each episode features a family who makes their move for a variety of reasons: job opportunities, lifestyle interests such as skiing or surfing, ancestral connections, education, and so on.
In a recurring theme across episodes, the reasons for the move influence the choices that the families make about location. They may want to be near school, near stores and restaurants, near nature, and so on.
Another frequent theme shows them having to deal with change; things are different in the new country! Those differences may involve the use of space (vertically as well as horizontally!), furnishings, and presence or absence of various conveniences. They may even be faced with learning a new language.
We sometimes hear people say, "But I need..." when it is obvious that they really are saying, "I am used to..." Of course, the success stories show people who have adjusted to a new way of daily life in the new home in the new country.
Abraham went where the Lord called him to go. The going wasn't always easy. Being there was sometimes very hard. But the Lord called him to be where the blessings would be provided.
Josiah was a king, but placed himself under covenant with the Lord—King above kings—to walk in His ways. And he led others to join in that covenant to the Lord, not to himself. And that meant making changes.
And Paul's letter to the believers in Rome challenges us to consider the change of kingdom as total and permanent as death: walking in a new life in a new kingdom.