Sunday: Put It In Writing
Text: 38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.” (Neh. 9:38)
Teach: Our God is a god of covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are 321 references to covenants contained in the Old and New Testaments. Covenants follow a standard pattern: first whoever initiates the covenant lists who he is and what he has done; then the obligations/expectations between the parties are identified; and finally the positive and negative results of keeping or breaking the covenant are defined.
Take: For many years my husband was in business for himself. At times it was construction and then in restaurant work. One of the hardest lessons for him to learn was to get things in writing. Creating a contract seemed to smack of distrust, but actually ended up providing the means for clarity and accountability. Both parties knew what was expected and could perform to their best.
Task: What covenants do you have with others and with God? How are you accountable? Journaling is one way to keep track of those things. I know I tend to forget things and writing things down helps me stay on track. Oh look, we’re back at remembering.
Pot of Manna 