Week 6 | Covenant Relationships | Dan

CR – 8,9,10

The author suggests we love everyone the same, but only entrust yourself to certain people. I thought it was a profound moment when Jesus, at the end of his ministry, says to his disciples that they are no longer his servants, but his friends because he has revealed to them everything he had received from the Father. That is what discipleship is about – to bring a group of people to a place of trust and increasing levels of intimacy, not to produce robots that only know how to obey you. I love that verse, “Speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).” We so need this in our relationships. A true friend knows when and how to do this well.

I like the idea of having stages/levels of responsibility. You give someone a little bit of trust, and if they’re faithful, you give them a little more next time. This was a reminder to me to be faithful and diligent in my work and what God has put on my plate. In terms of serving at church, I can relate to the temptations of letting pride seep in or seeking self-gratification. As I prepare to begin serving in a ministry in the next few months, I have to deal with this issue before I actually start serving.

I think I’m more character-oriented because I feel like character is what lasts. I value sincerity and integrity. But here we learn that both character and charisma (revealed power of God) are needed. “If one pleads his case always for character to the avoidance of charisma, that character is either not genuine or it has not been developed to its full extent. True character must cross the line into depending on the miraculous power of God.” I must be born again, born of the spirit. It was interesting to see that character and charisma don’t oppose each other, but they actually cause each other to increase.