The power of the covenant (Part 1)
When we speak of covenant, everyone refers to the union of a man and a woman for marriage but there is another covenant that is very neglected by Christians while it is the most important: The covenant between God and his children.
There is a difference between a covenant and a partnership. A partnership can be broken at any time when things do not work out as planned but the covenant will not break easily. When two people engage in a partnership, it means that everyone gives his contribution and the two put together their parts to be stronger. But when two people engage in a covenant, it is more than a contribution because in order to get a covenant, there must be a SACRIFICE.
To find out if someone is married, we check whether he wears a covenant ring on his finger, but the ring is not the symbol of the covenant, but rather a sign that the person is married because the covenant is not justified by a ring but by a commitment of the heart and the conscience with a spirit of sacrifice.
In the Bible, the covenant between God and his children is illustrated by the relationship between Christ and the Church. The Church is the image of the bride of Christ and the relationship between the Church and Christ is often compared to the relationship between a wife and her husband because both relationships are based on a sacrifice.
There must be a sacrifice on both sides: Christ sacrificed his life on the cross for the Church while the Church has to sacrifice his own interests to satisfy Christ. Whoever does not understand this principle can never understand the meaning of the covenant.
Concerning the sacrifice of married women, the Bible says: "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord; For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church which is his body, of which he is the Savior. Now, just as the church is subject to Christ, women must also be to their husbands in everything "(Ephesians 5: 22-24).
By experience, I have noticed that many women do not like this passage that seems to be too demanding for them because it asks the wives to submit to their husbands in everything but I think the sacrifice reserved to the husband is even more demanding because the same Word says to the men: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5: 25). In other words, the Word asks to the husbands to sacrifice their lives for their wives. In your opinion, what is the heaviest sacrifice? Total submission or Sacrifice his life?
God gave us his only son who is very precious to him. He was crucified on the cross for us, and He asks us to sacrifice our own interests for Him.
To be continued in Part 2
Chris Ndikumana
The power of the covenant (Part 2)
In almost all weddings I attended, I heard almost the same words at the time of vows: "I promise to love you with all my heart, to cherish you, to obey you in all things (the wife), to support you in good and bad times, to protect you (the husband) ... until death do us part or until the return of Jesus Christ ".
Whenever the couple finishes pronouncing these kind words, the room is filled with emotions, everyone cheers the couple, some guests cry of joy and sometimes even the young couple cries with emotions. At this point, everything is fine, everything is great, it is like being on another planet. Today in Western countries, two people can go to court or to official authorities to look for a marriage certificate. They simply exchange the wedding rings before an authority of the country and kiss each other before him after the vows and he declares them husband and wife. It is this luck of seriousness which over time destroys the meaning of the covenant.
In many households, just visit the same couple after two years of marriage and you will find out that the good vows we heard on the wedding day were just a part of the ceremony not to say a theater. My conclusion is that most couples who pronounce the vows do so without realizing the weight of what they say. In fact, they do not understand the true meaning of the covenant. They see marriage as a partnership and not a covenant. Partnership is built on a CONTRACT while Covenant is built on a SACRIFICE.
During the vows, the two newlyweds are still filled with love and feelings and are completely unaware that they enter into a relationship that cannot succeed without the spirit of sacrifice. Everyone is motivated by what he will receive from the other without considering what to give. Most broken marriages are built on the spirit of receiving and not giving. A marriage can never be successful for a long time as long as there is no spirit of sacrifice.
The same is true for the relationship between God and his children. Your relationship with God will never remain strong for a long time as long as you do not have a spirit of sacrifice. Many Christians come to God in prayer with a spirit of RECEIVING and not of GIVING. It is important for every Christian to know that God wants to give us, but He also needs our sacrifices. The Word says: " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12: 1)
To be continued in Part 3
Chris Ndikumana
The power of the covenant (Part 3)
I would first like you to know that there is great strength in the words we speak. Many do so as a show or a simple formula and I even noticed that in many churches the vows text is prepared in advance and the married couple merely read the text without understanding and often do not fully understand the heaviness of what they read.
It is for this reason that on my wedding day I asked to let us decide our own vows that came from the heart without any external influence. I thought on every word I said to my wife, looking straight into her eyes and she did the same. Obviously there were guests who listened to us but even more, God was listening and every word spoken that day was recorded in the spiritual world. I want my readers to understand that the words that we speak can be a blessing to us as they can be a curse.
That is why it is written in Ecclesiastes 5: 4-5: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it”
It is the last verse that is very strong: "It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it ". If you are a woman and on the wedding day you promised to love and obey your husband even in difficult times but you start to underestimate and abuse him during the period of unemployment, you attract a curse on you and on your home because of the words you have spoken the day of your wedding. But if you rather continue to love and honor him despite his poverty, you open a door for the hand of God to work in your home, because God is sensitive when someone honors his vow as we just read in Ecclesiastes 5: 4-5.
Likewise, if you are a man and on the wedding day you told her that you are going to love, cherish and protect her despite everything that could happen but you start to hate or mistreat her because she no longer has the physical size that attracted you during the engagement time, you attract a curse on you because of the words you have spoken on the day of your wedding.
This is also the reason why many couples spend years and years in a sort of curse without knowing why, and despite many prayers. I heard some couples accusing witches, Satanists or simply the devil when in fact they are responsible of the misfortunes that happen to them.
If you want to have a blessed and strong couple, you have to live and fulfill the vows you made the day of your marriage despite the physical and financial changes and especially despite the surprises regarding the character of your life partner. Honor your wows and God will honor your marriage but it does not happen in one week; it requires patience and mostly sacrifice.
To be continued in Part Four
Chris Ndikumana
The power of the covenant (Part 4)
The covenant between a man and a woman is supposed to be built on love. It is very difficult, even a burden to marry a man or a woman you do not like.
Regarding our covenant with Jesus (for those who have committed to accept him as their Lord and Savior), the Bible clearly shows that it is Jesus who loved us first. John wrote, saying: "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4: 19).
I know that when I speak of love, many think of love feelings and emotions, but it is not that kind of love that I am talking about. I speak of love as defined by Jesus. If I ask you if you love Jesus, I know that the answer is a spontaneous big YES. But if you consider the words of Jesus, He shows how to know those who love him and those who do not love Him. He said: “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him "(John 14: 21).
According to Jesus, the one who loves Him is one who has and keeps His commandments. You can tell everyone that you love Jesus, you can even cry in praying or singing but if you do not keep His commandments, you do not love Him (according to Him). Here Jesus was not speaking of the 613 laws of Moses, but he has always insisted on what he called “A new commandment”. He said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another"(John 13: 34).
Jesus is not impressed when you tell Him that you love Him but He wants you show it through actions. This is why He said: "IF you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14: 15).
It is the same for those who sing that they are "Friends of Jesus". We heard nice songs when we say that we are friends of Jesus or God's friends but if you read the scriptures, you will notice that there is always a condition for being called "Friend of Jesus". He said: "You are my friends, IF you do whatsoever I command you" (John 15: 14).
Those who obey Jesus and His commandments are his friends. Therefore, it is not by singing that you are the friend of Jesus that you become one but it is by submitting yourself totally under his authority. You cannot pretend to be a friend of Jesus if you walk in adultery, lying, hatred or whatever is against his commands. Those who are born again automatically become children of God but are not automatically "Friends of Jesus"
I would like you to ask yourself the question of knowing whether you are the friend of Jesus? If the Holy Spirit shows you something that keeps you from being one, it is the time to repent.
To be continued in Part 5
Chris Ndikumana
The power of the covenant (Part 5)
The covenant between Jesus and his bride (the Church) is not based on emotions but on obedience to his Word. Jesus sacrificed himself for us so that we inherit every blessing but in return we are supposed to keep His commandments by submitting ourselves completely.
It is the same principle regarding the covenant between husband and wife. Their love should not be built on emotions or love feelings. The husband must sacrifice himself in loving and protecting his wife in all things while the wife is expected to submit in everything.
A man who biblically loves his wife cannot stand to see her suffering. He does everything to make her happy and to help her grow spiritually and socially. A man who loves his wife must do everything to encourage and make her better. A man who loves his wife prefers not to eat in order to feed his wife. His dream is to see her happy all the time. He can NEVER beat her and cannot publicly humiliate her. A man who biblically loves his wife put her interests before his own and he can NEVER cheat on her with another woman. He daily prays for his wife and children and uses his household head position to spiritually cover his family in prayer.
A woman who biblically loves her husband knows how to talk to him with wisdom and submission. She cannot contradict him in public and covers everything. A woman who biblically loves her husband cannot get carried away in a crazy discussion with her husband just because he does not understand her; she will know how to get her message across without causing damage and will and wait for the time it takes in case her husband does not understand her. She can NEVER cheat on her husband and can NEVER speak badly about him when she is with other people. She always covers her husband and daily prays for him for God to work on his character.
Here is the end of this teaching but I want you to remember something very important: There is a covenant between God and born again Christians. Our covenant is based on the blood of Jesus Christ. God has already given his sacrifice but we must also give back the sacrifice of our bodies as Paul wrote: " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service "(Rom 12: 1) and by Jesus, we must also give a continual sacrifice of praise in confessing his name (Heb 13: 15).
My God be praised for this covenant that binds us
Chris Ndikumana