Covenant Love Reaffirmed

I Samuel 20:17

As love delights in commitment, so too, love desires renewals and reaffirmations of commitment. Love desires renewed pledges and tokens of love from its objects. This is beautifully illustrated by Jonathan and David. "Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as his own soul." A woman never gets tired of hearing her husband say, "I love you," and never gets tired of him presenting her with renewed tokens of his love. Neither does a man tire of those things from his wife.

You know the application and the need of it. We are so cold and indifferent to our Lord by nature that we constantly need to renew our commitment to him. Nothing rekindles the flame of affection like fresh hot coals of loving communion. So let us ever seek constant communion with Christ. The only return love can receive is love.Everything else is beneath it."O love the Lord, all ye his saints" (Psa.31:23)."I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice" (Psa. 116:1). It is in our own best interests to make continual,unreserved renewals of our love to Christ. He renews his love to us and gives fresh tokens of it everyday. Shall we not renew ours to him? Christ is all. All is in him. All comes from him. Separated from him we are nothing,have nothing, and can do nothing.So let us ever cleave to him.We are most unhappy and miserable when some breach has been made between us and the One we love.The sooner it is repaired, the better.Moreover,our great God and Savior invites us to renew our pledges of love to him. Read his tender, loving pleas to his beloved in the Song of Solomon 4:815. Then respond to him, "Let my Beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits" (v. 16). Reaffirm to Christ your baptismal pledge to walk with him in the newness of life forever. Have we no alabaster box of consecrated love to bring to the Son of God? Have we no tears of gratitude with which to wash his feet? Have we no fresh kisses of unabashed love with which to kiss his feet in humble repentance and devotion?

Don Fortner