TEST Who Loves You More

Your Dog or Your Spouse?

Warning, do not perform this test when the weather is cold. 

There is a simple test to determine this.

-Walk with your spouse and your dog to your car. 

-Open the trunk.

-Insert dog and spouse into trunk.

-Close trunk.

-Come back one hour later.

-Open trunk.

 Who will jump into your arms and kiss your face?

The reason for the warning is that the cold will be uncomfortable for your spouse and dog; but, even more, are you ready to spend the rest of your short remaining life out in the cold?

The above test is an invalid test because the relationship between you and your spouse versus you and your dog, are totally different relationships.  The basis for the relationship is different.  The expected outcomes are different. 

Now that I have your attention, I want to talk about the relationship of your heavenly Father for His people and the everlasting love of with His people. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were His people.  In the New Testament and today, all who have received His Son, as their Savior are His People. 

In the Old Testament, God’s relationship was based on an agreement, a covenant, made with Moses and the children of Israel.  This was a conditional covenant requiring their keeping of God’s law in return for physical blessing.

So keep the orders and the laws and the decisions, which I give you today and do them.  And it will be, that if you give attention to these decisions and keep and do them, then the Lord will keep his agreement with you and his mercy, as he said in his oath to your fathers.   And he will give you his love, blessing you and increasing you: he will send his blessing on the offspring of your body and the fruit of your land, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock, in the land which by his oath to your fathers he undertook to give you.  You will have greater blessings than any other people: no male or female among you or among your cattle will be without offspring.  And the Lord will take away from you all disease, and will not put on you any of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you have seen, but will put them on your haters.  And you are to send destruction on all the peoples which the Lord your God gives into your hands; have no pity on them, and do not give worship to their gods; for that will be a cause of sin to you.  If you say in your hearts, these nations are greater in number than we are: how are we to take their land from them?  Have no fear of them, but keep well in mind what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt;  the great punishments which your eyes saw, and the signs and the wonders and the strong hand and the stretched-out arm, by which the Lord your God took you out: so will the Lord your God do to all the peoples who are the cause of your fears.  Deut. 7: 11-

19

Today, our relationship with our Heavenly Father is based on His Covenant of Grace, a new and better covenant.  We can participate in the blessings promised in the Old Covenant:

Christ has made us free from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: because it is said in the Writings, A curse on everyone who is put to death by hanging on a tree:

 So that on the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; in order that we through faith might have the Spirit which God had undertaken to give

And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and yours is the heritage by the right of God's undertaking given to Abraham.  Gal. 3: 13,14 and 29

PLUS

We have the promises of the New Covenant:

-God forgives all our sins - Matt. 26:28

-God remembers our sins no more - Hebrews 8:12

-God promises never to be angry with us - Is. 54:7-10

-God qualifies us – Col. 1:12

- Jesus takes hold of us and never lets go –Rom. 8:39

-God credits us with the perfect righteousness of Jesus –

 2 Cor 5:21

-God gives us His Holy Spirit to teach us – Jn. 15:2

 to empower us – Act 1:8

to remind us of our imputed righteousness –Jn 16:10

-We are His royal priests – 1 Peter 2:9

-God is for us - Rom. 8:31

-God justifies us -Rom. 8:1

-Jesus defends us – 1 John 2:1

-God’s grace enables us to overcome sin – Tit. 2:12

-God supplies all our needs – Phil. 4:9

-God is with us – Ez 37:27

-We can approach God with confidence and freedom –

Eph 3:12

-God empowers us to overcome the enemy – 1 John 5:4

-We have God’s delegated authority over demons and diseases – Mk 16:17

-We have His divine protection – Lk 10:19

-We are destined to “reign in life” –Rom. 5:17

-God gives us rest – Heb. 4:10-11

-We are seated in heavenly places – Eph. 2:6

-God gives us eternal life –Rom. 6:23

Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one].  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: