READ: Genesis 17:5-8 NLT
'I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.'
It’s a big moment when you enter into a binding agreement with someone. Whether you are thinking of marriage, buying a house or starting a new job it’s a moment to stand back from life and take a deep breath. This was just such a moment for Abram as he entered into a covenant with God that was going to change everything – including his name!
The word “covenant” is important throughout the whole of the Bible and it’s an amazing word. The idea that the God of Creation wants to enter into a relationship with human beings is enough to blow your mind. The first covenant was with Noah and God set the rainbow in the sky as an eternal reminder of it, and then in the New Testament we see the way in which Jesus’ death on the cross ushers in a new covenant as he throws the door open to the world.
A covenant has two sides to it. On one side there is God who has freely chosen to enter into a relationship with us. The only explanation for this is love. He doesn’t have to form a relationship with us and doesn’t need us. He’s God! But he decided from the beginning of time that his desire was to offer to humankind the possibility of relationship.
And then there’s the other side of the covenant – us. If a covenant was one sided it wouldn’t be a covenant. God will never impose himself on us. Through Jesus’ death on the cross he offers a new life to us, and we need to decide whether we want to follow in his way and be obedient
to him.




QUESTION: In what way will obeying God shape your life today?
PRAYER: Faithful and Loving Heavenly father, thank you that you invite us into an eternal covenant with you. Help me to be faithful to that covenant today. Amen.

Released on 15 Jan 2021