God made a covenant with Abram. A covenant lasts forever - even if one person breaks the covenant, it remains binding on the other person. The relationship between Abram and God changed with this covenant. Changing Abram's name to Abraham was a sign of this change. God assured Abraham that He would have many offspring. God would give them land, and He would be their God. This covenant between God and Abraham's offspring remains to this day.

The religious authorities were becoming angrier with Jesus. They accused Him of making Himself greater than their father, Abraham and the prophets. The central issue lay in their question to Jesus, "Who do you make yourself out to be?" Jesus responded with the truth of His identity - I AM - the name of God! He accused the people of not knowing the Father. Jesus was referring to knowing God intimately in their hearts - loving God and desiring to follow God's teachings. This is our calling as well. We are called into a deep relationship with Jesus that will impel us to share our love for God with others in all that we say and do.