Deuteronomy 15:7-9 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

Do read this and think this is charitable giving? It is easy to see that because we do not live this way any longer. This is better described as covenant lending. It begins with examining the life prescribed by God for His people who lived in covenant with Him and each other. These were not outsiders, foreigners, people which were not part of the covenant, for there was no promise of forgiveness to them outside the covenant.

Every seventh year all debt owed to lenders was forgiven. No loan could be withheld if there was a need, a true need. No debt could be collected, no matter how soon the year of release should come from the date of the loan. If you had no true need and made a loan with the knowledge of the year of release coming soon, then you were as guilty of sin as the man in verse 9 above.

We do not live that way anymore do we? This system worked very well because it had God’s blessing and leadership. They lived by the law then, that covenant of law abiding blessing. They could abide by the law so they lost the blessing and lost their blessing.

We now live by the covenant of faith, if you have placed your faith in Christ.

So what are covenant blessing requirements now?

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

When I left you yesterday I can imagine there are more than a few that might ask themselves, “Am I saved?” That is a fair question and I do not have an answer for you in particular, but I do have some general advice. This opening verse contains my answer to my salvation issues.

If I am in Christ and Christ is in me, then my assurance is found in the promises made by God to those who are manifested in His life. Even the understanding of those promises is a promise kept. One of those important promises is growth in Christ. While some promises have been instant some only occur through growth and that takes time. He gave me the patience to accept that and that too is a promise kept.

Recently I quote 2 Peter 1:2-9 which in part said “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature”. In this please focus on the word “might”. This is not a condition promise based on “if you will” but rather a deeper understanding that many of us will die before all those promises are fulfilled in this lifetime. Remember partaking of the bread of life is partaking in Christ. Just like any meal, you cannot eat everything offered in one sitting. You have to return to the banquet table often and that is up to you to do for the sake of your own personal growth.

I admit there were times that the change in me was so dramatic and pleasing that I became a little self-satisfied, stuffed if you must. My growth in Christ stopped just because of that feeling of being full, I could not take another bite. Luckily God dealt with me over self-satisfaction and I once again hungered and thirsted after righteousness.

But that is me. What about you?