It's a life binding covenant

My Sermon on the Mount class yesterday was on Matt. 5:27-36, about immorality, adultery, marriage, and oaths. Something that I realized in a greater measure was the nature of the covenant (our sub-teacher was really emphasizing covenants). He was talking about how when two people get married they join into a covenant that lasts forever. They are agreeing that from that time forth there are 'no more options' for a spouse. They are with the only option. (he was talking about avoiding lust) We kept discussing it and how with all the Biblical covenants (Abrahamic, Noahic, Davidic, New Covenant, and Mosaic) they all were 'sealed' with the shedding of blood.

What hit me was that when people have sex (for married couples, consummating the marriage), they are making a covenant with each other with the shedding of blood. Whether they mean to or not, want to or not, know it or not, or realize it's happening. I'm realizing that this is why it's stronger than a crush, stronger than a soul tie, stronger than a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. It's a life binding covenant. That's why when two people have sex and then break up later why it is so hard and painful. They don't realize the covenant made.

Since this is my first time realizing this and pondering this concept, I don't have answers to my questions. Some of them include: so what happens when you have sex with someone you don't marry? My mom always told me that I don't have to marry someone just because I had sex with them or just because they got me prego. One mistake doesn't need to lead to two. Do you have to 'break' a covenant like you do soul ties? Can you break covenants?

This semester has been huge in my training as a missionary. One of the classes I had was Systematic Theology trying to figure out what I actually believe about God and foundations of Christianity. Then there was the death of my uncle and me wrestling with ideas of what it means to be dead, what true salvation is, who can be saved, what it means to be saved, lifestyles of righteousness and what it looks like, and much more. Then there was an issue of immorality someone confided in me about and me asking myself what I think about the situation. Was it right, was it wrong? Was it sin, or was it love? What does my culture say? Is my culture's thinking inside of me? What does this mean regarding the scriptures? What do they actually say? What is a covenant? What happens when the covenant is broken? How do you walk out healing and restoration?

This training has taken my 'head knowledge' and made it 'heart knowledge' because it isn't just stories and scenarios.....it's my real life. It's real people. And it affects my emotions. This is real missionary training. So even though this has been hard for me, I'm thankful God is taking me through this training and preparing me for the nations. 

Christ is everything we need

I read this in my Old Testament Survey class textbook and it made me so excited when reading it! So thankful that Jesus is all of these things!!!!

Christocentric themes are found in each one of the 66 books of the Bible. In the Old Testament Christ is the Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15), He is the Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:3), the Atoning Sacrifice (Lev. 17:11), the Smitten Rock (Num. 20:8, 11), and the Faithful Prophet (Deut. 18:18). Christ is the Captian of the Lord's Host (Josh 5:15), the Divine Deliverer (Judg. 2:18), and the Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 3:12). Christ is anticipated as the Anointed One (1Sam. 2:10), and as the Son of David (2Sam. 7:14). In 1 and 2 Kings Christ may be viewed as the coming King and in 1 and 2 Chronicles as the Builder of the Temple (1Chron. 28:20). Ezra represents Christ as the Restorer of the Temple (Ezra 6:14-15), Nehemiah shows Him as the Restorer of the Nation (Neh. 6:15), and Esther portrays Him as the Preserver of the Nation (Esther 4:14). Christ is also seen as the Living Redeemer (Job 19:25), as the Praise of Israel (Ps 150:6), the Wisdom of God (Prov. 8:22-23), the Great Teacher (Eccles. 12:11), and the Fairest of Ten Thousand (SOS 5:10). Christ is the Suffering Servant (Isa. 53:11), the Maker of the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31), the Man of Sorrows (Lam. 3:28-30), the Glory of God (Ezk. 43:2), and the coming Messiah (Dan. 9:25). He is also depicted as the Lover of the Unfaithful (Hos. 3:1), the Hope of Israel (Joel 3:16), the Husbandman (Amos 9:13), the Savior (Obad. 21), the Resurrected One (Jon. 2:10), the Ruler in Israel (Micah 5:2), the Avenger (Nah. 2:1), the Holy God (Hab. 1:13, the King of Israel (Zeph. 3:15), the Desire of the Nations (Hag. 2:7), the Righteous Branch (Zech. 3:8), and the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2).

In the New Testament Christ is presented as the King of the Jews (Matt 2:2), the Servant of The Lord (Mark 10:45), the Son of Man (Luke 19:10), and the Son of God (John 1:1). Christ is the Ascended Lord (Acts 1:10), the believer's Righetousness (Rom. 1:17), Sanctification (1Cor. 1:30), Sufficiency (2Cor. 12:9), and Liberty (Gal. 2:4). He is revealed as the Exalted Head of the church (Eph. 1:22), the Christian's Joy (Phil. 1:26), and the Fullness of Deity (col. 2:9). In the Thessalonian epistles Christ is the believer's Comfort (1Thes. 4:16-17) and Glory (2Thes. 1:12). He is seen as the Christian's Preserver (1Tim. 4:10), Rewarder (2Tim. 4:8), Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13), and Substitute (Philemon 17). He is also High Priest (Heb. 4:17), the Giver of Wisdom (James 1:5), the Rock (1Pet. 2:6), and the Precious Promise (2Pet. 1:4). John represents Christ as the Life (1John), the Truth (2John), and the Way (3John). Jude portrays Christ as the Advocate and Revelation shows Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:16). It is literally true that the Bible is all about Christ!