Covenant with God

I went to SKS Book Warehouse (http://www.sksbooks.com/) at Tan Boon Liat Building along Outram Road on Saturday, 9 June 2007 to look for The Maxwell Leadership Bible (TMLB) after "googling" for it as Acts Lifestyle at China Square Central, which I last bought TMLB about three years ago, did not carry it when I went there a few days earlier.

I saw this book which captured my interest, purely because of my personal experience with God some 6-7 years ago. The book is "CHOSEN to be GOD'S PROPHET", LESSONS from the LIFE OF SAMUEL, HOW GOD WORKS IN and THROUGH THOSE HE CHOOSES by HENRY BLACKABY. Some of us would have gone through Henry Blackaby and Claude King's book on "Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God".

In the INTRODUCTION of the book, we are told that a COVENANT WITH GOD had several significant features:

1. It was always a choice God made! It was initiated by Him and for His eternal purposes in this world.

2. His choice of a people was not based on the people, but on His love. This is clearly seen in Deuteronomy 7:6-11.

3. God spelled out very clearly the conditions that were to be followed by His covenant people. He promised to be faithful to them completely and to bless them above all the peoples of the earth (Ex. 19:5). They were to fear Him, love Him, obey Him, and serve Him, keeping all His commandments (Deut. 10:12-13). If they did not obey Him, He would discipline them and work against them. The most complete and detailed description of these two sides to God's relationship with His people can be seen and read in Deuteronomy 28.

4. When God's people lived faithfully with God, God would bless the nations of the world through them. This is still true today. Jesus stated this clearly in Matthew 28:18-20. We would do well to remember that the most crucial aspect of God's convenant with His people, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, was that His people were to be faithfully and constantly taught "to observe [practice and live out faithfully] all things that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20; see also Deut 30:15-20).

5. As the people obeyed, God promised, "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt 28:20; see also Deut. 32:46-47).

Like the manner in which we cling on to in a life-saving situation, do we cling on to God's promise?