The following parable is by David Armstrong. Note: “Covenant path” is a term used in the restored Church of Jesus Christ to describe progress through a life marked by promises made with God via ordinances and adhering to these promises.
Membership in Christ’s true church provides us the opportunity to operate from an eternal perspective. Membership alone, however, does not guarantee a proper perspective on life. We not only must choose membership, but we must also choose discipleship.
Disciples are not immune to mortal problems. Their path is no easier than anyone else’s. Pain is just as real and intense, problems just as perplexing, disappointments just as heartbreaking. Their path is strewn with as many stones and hedged with sharp thorns as any others’ experience.
The difference for disciples is perspective. Their detours and distractions are not as dramatic. The inevitable backtracking is not as arduous. And they recognize they are not on the path alone. They follow a perfect Leader who shows them how to surmount obstacles, climb boulders, scale cliffs, avoid potholes, and ford rivers.
They cling tenaciously to the iron rod to steady themselves along the way. They call out constantly for direction and assurance, and the response they hear is not the hollow echo of their own voice but the gentle, merciful calls of a tender Father at the head of the trail and a loving Savior in whose footsteps they tread.
When disciples grow weary, their strength is renewed by the covenants they have made. The covenants are promises the Father has prepared and His Son has assured. The covenants draw the disciple ever onward and upward along the path, even the covenant path.
The eternal perspective of the gospel covenants is the disciple’s lifeline, tethering him or her to Christ, and from Christ to God. The eternal perspective is always straight ahead and filled with the beckoning countenance of Jesus.
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