An Increased Relationship

Corey's dad sent this article to us and this first paragraph quote, I really love it and it's given me a new insight into covenants. This book by Kerry Muhlstein is on my list to read.

The Unique Relationship with God that We are Promised in the Covenant - Kerry Muhlestein

"Through years of studying the blessings promised to Israel, I came to the understanding that the first and foremost aspect of the covenant, the concept on which everything hinged and from which everything flowed, was that GOD WANTED AN INCREASED RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS CHILDREN. This was both the purpose behind the covenant, the primary obligation of the covenant, and the most powerful blessing that flowed from it.

"God wants to have a different relationship with His children than they are capable of when they are both in and of this world. He wants us to take a step away from the world and towards Him. Because of this desire, He willingly binds Himself to us if we are only willing to bind ourselves to Him. This binding happens through an ordinance administered covenant, which allows His sanctifying power to enter us and change us into beings that are capable of being closer to Him, and which ties us to Him in an intimate and empowering relationship.

"When we remember that the purpose of the covenant is to increase our relationship with God, then it comes as no surprise that the great obligation is one that is designed to heighten that relationship.

"'It is the connection with God that counts. In other words, the defining duty of covenant holders is to remember what God has done for them, to be grateful for it, and to serve God. But above all, both in terms of duty and how it defines them, covenant holders are to love God. This love is to be the primary feeling of their heart, the central emotion of their consciousness, the consuming core of who they are.' - book God Will Prevail p. 62

"Because this covenant connection is so important, we will best understand the scriptures that speak of the blessings promised to Israel when we keep in mind the relationship God is trying to build with those blessings. The ultimate expression of that relationship will be when He has changed our natures so substantially that we have become Christlike, or godly, and thus will finally be capable of having the kind of full, close, and understanding relationship that God has been seeking for. If we understand passages about prosperity, protection, posterity, land, and having God as our God and being His people with this in mind, then we will find a greater recognition of those blessings in our lives."