And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good. – Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Raise your hand if you just love doing what other people tell you to do.
Anybody? Yeah, didn’t think so.
It seems to me that an aversion to obedience is a universal trait among members of the human race. I think it is because every time we are required to do something it reminds us of the fact that we are never in complete control of our own lives. We always have to answer to somebody. Obey your parents. Obey the law. Obey the Lord your God.
Yeah, even that one grates on me at times. Don’t get me wrong. I know we should have a desire to follow His commandments in an effort to become more like Christ, our Savior. But, man, obedience tends to cramp my fleshly style; I don’t like it one bit.
The reality is, though, that being obedient keeps us safe. Look at verse 13 up there again: Moses reaffirms the fact that keeping God’s commands is for our own good. God knows that without guidelines we would be in a world of hurt.
Succumbing to the desires of the flesh can seriously put a damper on the joy that God wants us to have in our hearts. Covetousness leads to a life of constant depression. Being unequally yoked will most likely put unnecessary strain on your relationship. Lying will most definitely lead to a miserable existence of guilt and secrecy. That is no way to live.
The good thing is that once we learn to get past those pesky temptations, God can bless us in ways that we could never imagine. As you go through this week, remember that obedience does not lead to limitation. Being obedient provides us with a way to live a life that is relatively free of joy-robbing experiences and misery.
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – Colossians 2:6-7
