Psalm 103:18
with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his
precepts.
In verse 17 we saw how God’s love is everlasting towards those who fear him. Here, those same people are described as those who keep his covenant and obey him. That can’t mean that God’s love is conditional on our obedience, getting switched off
every time we sin. That kind of love could never be described as ‘everlasting’ – for most of us, it would only last about 5 minutes! God’s love is dependent on his unchanging character, so we can be confident that it will last.
But this is a reminder to us that God’s love is particularly directed towards his covenant people – those who call him their God and have committed themselves to living for him. If we want to live as enemies of God, ignoring his commands and rejecting his covenant, we can’t expect to experience his covenant love. Being a person of the covenant doesn’t mean we never sin. But it does mean that we WANT to obey. We recognise that God’s
ways are better than our ways. And we recognise that when we disobey him, we need the blood of the covenant – the sacrifice of Jesus – to restore our relationship with him. Let’s thank him today that our place in his love is secure because of Jesus, and pray that we would increasingly be those who keep his covenant and remember to obey him.
