God's Covenant

In today's Crosswalk Live It! there is an article that talks about our Covenant with God. Do you know where you stand with God? The following are some paragraphs from there. They are so meaningful, and so true.

This first one is the whole paragraph from Crosswalk, as I wanted the full effect from the page.
"Recognize the difference between a covenant and a contract. Our society's main form of relationship is a contract -- an agreement between two parties that focuses on what each promises to do for the other and can easily be broken. But God wants to relate to you through covenant -- an unconditional promise of a permanent relationship. Don't let the world's prevailing form of relationship limit your thinking on how you can relate to God. Although other people can let you down, God will always prove reliable. Count on God to always do what's best. Unlike with a contract, in a covenant it's God Himself who protects your best interests. Decide to trust Him with every aspect of your life."

The next one talks about not striving to earn Gods love. We have a covenant with Him. We do not need to constantly try to prove ourselves to Him. Just live by His word, and we have Him. He's always there through the good and the bad. We must repent if we slip back into the flesh/worldly ways, but He is still there waiting for us.

Another good one is to not be prideful. When we are filled with pride, we distance ourselves from the Lord. This is not good. Humble ourselves before the Lord. All the glory belongs to Him. We can not go it alone. I've learned from experience that when we try to go it alone and feel we can handle it all on our own, that life can become difficult to a total nightmare.

Overcoming Fear is a good one. When we feel fearful, it tends to lead us away from God. We should be running to Him instead. He will protect us. Faith!

This one is so good. We all go through it. Some more than others, or so it seems. We must always remember He is going to test us from time to time, depending on our behavior and closeness to Him, but regardless, we are tested. Here is the paragraph on that subject:

"Pass the tests. God will sometimes test your faith. When God calls you to do something that seems ridiculous to others, choose to listen to God instead of worrying about what other people think. When you encounter a temptation, decide not to yield to it so you can please God and avoid trouble for yourself. God has demonstrated His perfect faithfulness through His covenant with you; place your full faith in Him."

The rest is the labels for each paragraph written. They all are good and worth reading. I highly suggest going to the link and reading the rest of the message. Here are the titles:

Embrace God as a Father; Let Go; Wait for God's timing. [This one is so true, as God's timing is perfect. We need to be patient and wait upon Him.] Don't hold grudges; Live through God's strength rather than your own; Focus on character; Stay positive [This one goes a long way. Being negative only opens the doors to the enemy. Discernment is so important.] View life from an eternal perspective; Expect God to use your life in great ways; Build true friendships; Get rid of idols; [This includes oneself. It goes along with being prideful.] Expect miracles; Rely on the Holy Spirit; [Oh yes, being filled with the Holy Spirit is such a blesing. Pray boldly; Give generously; & Find our mission field.

God Bless Always and Always P.U.S.H.