A Promise With A Purpose
By Jeremy Lim, Session Elder
Matthew 28:20 (NIV) And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Two days ago, my parents, First Prez members Frank and Diana Lim, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Fifty years! Their five kids and 18 grandchildren are but a glimpse of the amazing things God has done in and through their marriage over the past half-century.
Thinking about their anniversary prompted me to watch my own wedding video from nearly 18 years ago. My good friend and former youth pastor officiated the ceremony and spoke passionately about the covenant that my wife, Megan, and I were entering into. “You do not so much keep your vows as your vows keep you,” he said. “They are the cords that bind you together as long as you both shall live.”
Covenant. It’s an important word because it provides much greater depth to more commonly used words like promise, agreement, and partnership. A covenant is basically a partnership between two parties that is bound by the promise to work toward accomplishing a common goal. A covenant with another person is more than just a friendship in the same way that my wife is more than just my friend. She is my partner in life, and our vows are not just promises to stay married; they affirm our commitment to share and do life together.
Throughout the entire Bible, we see God establishing covenants with His people in spite of their repeated failure to uphold their end of the agreement. And yet God continued to pursue them, as He still pursues us today. Through Jesus, He invites each of us into a covenantal relationship with Himself.
Matthew 28:20 is a beautiful and comforting promise we should never forget. However, this promise is best understood when we remember the words Jesus spoke just before making it. There was a purpose, a goal, behind the promise.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)
We know these verses as The Great Commission, but maybe they could also be simply known as Our Common Goal: that the world would know God’s love through a personal, covenantal relationship with His Son, Jesus. Jesus’ promise to never leave us underscores how important it is to Him that we pursue this goal together, as partners. Following Jesus and helping others follow Jesus will unlock the full potential of what it means to have a personal relationship with God!
Eighteen years ago I promised to always be there for Megan so that I could love and support her through a life we vowed to live together. She whole-heartedly agreed, and thus began our amazing adventure as husband and wife. More than 2000 years ago, Jesus promised to always be there for you and me so that…
How would you finish that sentence? How might Jesus want to partner with you to make Himself more fully known to the people in your life? Wherever you are in your faith journey, take that next step toward more fully experiencing the blessing of partnering with Jesus.
Prayer: Jesus, I know Your promises are true and that I can count on You to never leave me. Thank You! Help me to not just receive the promise of your presence but to also be a part of Your fulfillment of this promise to those around me. In Your Name, Amen.
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