KEY SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 3:6 NHEB “who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

In our previous study, we learnt that the Christian is in covenant with God. How do we live with our covenant with the Father? Abraham came from a very strong idolatrous background and understood covenant responsibilities and significance. These were people who could sacrifice their children for the gods. With this background, he related to God so successfully. God said He had to tell Abraham what He plans to do. Gen 18:17 KJV” And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? This is a result of the oneness between them, as a result of the covenant. When the Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his precious son Isaac, whom he had waited for so many years to obtain. Abraham never hesitated at all. He hurriedly obeyed, although the Lord intervened to prevent him from killing the boy.

As a result of Abraham’s absolute obedience to that covenant relation, God made him the heir of the earth. Rom 4:13 KJV “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” A good acknowledgement of our covenant relationship with God would totally revolutionise whatever we do unto the Lord. It would affect our love for God, our faith in the Lord, our service unto the Lord, and our general outlook about life.

As we studied in our previous study, the Christian is in a covenant relationship with their heavenly father. The terms of this relationship are that we might live to glorify God in all we do. We glorify Him through living upright lives, winning souls, and bearing fruits of answered prayer. John 15:7-8.The father’s role in this covenant is to handle every care of ours and to protect, preserve us completely. Our food must be to bring more fruit to him. Just listen to the master; John 15:16 KJV “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” To be a strong participant in God’s covenant is to be actively involved in bearing fruit in all the areas I talked about. Failure to bear fruit is a breach of the terms of the covenant. The Lord says, the Father would take away that branch or person from the vine John 15:2

THOUGHT: A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR COVENANT WITH GOD WILL SURELY INFLUENCE THE OUTPUT OF OUR WALK WITH HIM.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 15:4 KJV “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

John 15:15 KJV” Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”