Agreement

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Nehemiah 10:29 Entering An Agreement To Obey

these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes: Nehemiah 10:29

Contracts are written up, agreed to and signed every day in every nation around the world. In the contracts are parts saying what will occur if everything is followed and what will occur if certain things are not followed by both parties. This occurs on individual, corporate and national levels.

All the people of Israel joined together to enter a curse and an oath to obey God’s Law and all His commandments.

Agreements with consequences for obedience and disobedience is common among people everywhere. They are made to hold people responsible to reward those who do right and to punish those who do not do the right thing.

Although believers are no longer under the Old Testament Law of Moses, they are still under the commands of God. Under the Law of Moses, it was do or die. Under the grace of Jesus, if one obeys God’s commands, there are blessings, if one chooses to not obey, His hand of blessing is removed. Jesus paid the penalty for sin, not obeying God’s commands.

Everyday God still gives commands to those who have chosen to believe in and follow Jesus with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. These may be simple commands of just stopping to pray for someone, to detailed and complex ones of going overseas to do missions work. They may also be just stopping doing some activity or to start doing some activity.

All are commands of God and need to be obeyed just as much as the Israelites had to obey the Law of Moses.

God is willing to speak into your life what He wants you to do or not do. The moment you chose to believe in Jesus, you entered an agreement to obey His commands, no matter how little or big they are.

Make the choice to hear what God is telling you to do and then obey it without hesitation or delay. God knows what is best for your life. He has a plan for your life, but you must be willing to walk in it in full obedience, not turning to the left or the right.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the commands God has given you; that you will obey every command of God; that you will see the blessings of obeying God; and that you will see God’s favor in obedience.

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2 Kings 23:3 Renewing Your Contract

The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord–to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. 2 Kings 23:3

On a regular basis people are required to renew contracts with various companies, businesses, organizations and other groups. This is done in order to keep the services requested and to protect both parties involved. If the contract is not renewed, then the services are stopped.

After finding and reading the book of the covenant, God’s word, in the temple, King Josiah chose to renew his covenant with God to obey all of God’s commands. The people also renewed the same covenant.

The world thrives on having contracts made up to govern how a partnership in some situation will act. All the agreements as to what each party will do or not do are laid out in the contract.

Most contracts are written for a limited timeframe. Both parties need to renew the contract when the time limit is up or if one of the parties breaks the contract.

Although believers do not have a written contract with God, they do make a covenant contract with God at the time they choose to believe in Jesus and follow Him. Following Jesus means that one agrees to obey all of the commands of God, both written in the Bible and given by the Holy Spirit. This contract is for eternity.

However, there are times when a believer walks away from God and breaks the covenant with Him and walks in sin. Even though one may have stepped back into sin, God is willing to renew the contract with him, forgiving and saving the person. He must be willing to renew his contract with God.

God is ready and willing to make a new contract with you or renew one if needed. Jesus died so that you may have life. All you need to do is be willing to believe that and obey God in every area of your life.

If you have done this in the past and have fallen away into sin, God is still willing to renew that agreement with you. Give your life to God, obeying Him and renew your contract with Him.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will have a contract with God to obey Him; that you will choose to obey all the commands of God; and that you will pledge yourself to live for God in every area of your life.

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Exodus 34:12 Make No Treaty With Them

Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Exodus 34:12

Treaties are something that are often thought of as being done only by two or more nations together. They are agreements to some set of rules between different nations on how things will work between them.

Although not called treaties, people will often make agreements with each other in life. These are done for the mutual benefit of both parties. Some treaties can be good and helpful, while other ones will bring a party down.

God told the Israelites not to make any treaties with the people in the land where He was bringing them. Doing so would cause them to be caught in a trap.

Believers are not traveling to a new land where there are enemies as the Israelites had done, but they are traveling through this fallen world. Travelers are often expected to abide by the rules and participate in the activities of the place they are in.

The world does this to believers and wants to make a treaty with them. The world will do what it can to get believers to agree to participate with them in sin and walk away from God. And all of this is done in the idea of enjoying life to the fullest, though all it does is bring about death and destruction.

Many believers have fallen for the lies of the world and made a treaty with it, choosing to live in or play with sin, while believing in Christ.

True believers will flee all sin and the enemy. They will not see how close they can get to sin, but how far they can stay away from it. No treaty will be made with the world of sin and death.

As a believer, you are to be set apart from the world. You are in this world, but not of it.

People of this world will do what they can to make a treaty with you in order to get you to sin against God, though it will not be worded that way. Sin will be made to look as good and fun and the right thing to do, however all it will do is bring about death and separation from God.

Do not allow yourself to be brought into a treaty with death but live separate and holy unto God.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will strengthen you to flee all sin; that you will not make a treaty with the world and sin; that you will repent of all sin and strive to be holy as God is holy; and that you will be a light for Jesus in this dark world.

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Exodus 19:8 Will You Do All God Says?

The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. Exodus 19:8

Agreements are made all the time between two or more people, or between a person and businesses, or even between businesses. Under the agreement both parties must be willing to do everything that was said and agreed upon. People are willing to make those agreements with others and with businesses and hold to the agreement.

In most agreements, both groups understand what is required prior to making the full agreement. Very seldom will someone agree to something without full understanding of the requirements.

As God begins to lead the Israelites, He tells the people that if they will obey Him, they will be His people. The people tell Moses that they will do all that God has said.

At the point a person chooses to repent of his sins, have faith in the work of Jesus and become a believer, he makes a choice to begin to obey God. No one really knows what all that it means to obey God at the moment of salvation. It is a whole new life for them, the old is past and the new has come.

Growing in the Lord Jesus causes a person to begin to understand more and more what it means to obey God. Jesus obeyed God the Father perfectly, even including going to the cross to die for the sins of others. There was absolutely nothing He would not do for His Father.

Every believer needs to live in the same way, totally committed to obeying every command God gives, no matter how difficult or crazy it may sound. Commitment is to be complete and not only when it feels or looks good.

When you became a believer, you did not know everything God would tell you to do. Nor do you know everything God will yet to tell you to do.

Every day and in every moment, you have a choice to make as to whether you will commit yourself to obey all that God says. It is best to make that commitment now, so that when God says something you will be ready, willing and able to do it.

Do not allow room in your life to disobey God and not do what He commands. Despite failures in the past, make that commitment to God today for your future.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will be committed to obeying God; that you will hear when God tells you what to do; and that you will trust God in all of His commands to you.

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Genesis 9:9 An Established Contract

I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you Genesis 9:9

The term of covenant is not something that is commonly used in today’s society. It is now called a ‘contract’. Contracts are used on a regular basis all over the world by both individuals and groups and businesses.

It is an agreement between two groups as to what can and cannot be done and what is expected of both. Included is also what occurs if something wrong is done according to the contract. It provides protection for both groups that agree to the contract.

After the flood God made a covenant with Noah that would be for all his descendants after him. This would be to never destroy the earth by a flood again.

The contract God made with Noah is one that stands to this day with each and every person that walks on this planet. It is not the only contract that God has made, nor did He make ones only with the whole of mankind, but He makes contracts with individuals.

Although the contract of not flooding the earth is great, there is one that God is willing to make with each and every person that is even greater. Any person who has chosen to believe in Jesus and repent of his sins, is given a new contract with God.

This new contract has things that the individual believer must do or not do and things that God must do, and results of not doing those things. Every believer is expected to begin to leave his life of sin, to flee sin and turn towards God in all that he does.

It breaks the contract when a believer claims to believe, but purposefully continues to live in sin and not repent. He does not love Jesus, if he does not obey Jesus. When he does his part, God will have grace and mercy and do His part of saving the person.

Ask yourself if you have signed the contract with God?

Believe in the work that Jesus did dying on the cross and raising from the dead to take away your sins. Now be willing to repent of your sins and flee all sin. Turn towards God and what He has for you.

God is ready to forgive you and give you life according to the contract, but you must believe and follow Jesus to get it all.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will be in agreement with God for your life; that you will flee all sin and turn towards God; and that you will trust God with all of your life.