In addressing
the Israelites about the Ten Commandments, Moses said…
"These are the commands, decrees, and
regulations that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey
them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children
and grandchildren must fear the LORD your God as long as you live. If you obey
all His decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.” Deuteronomy
6:1-2
Be wise…obey and
you’ll live a long life. What better advice is there on earth? Obeying is
pretty important as far as God and the Bible are concerned. In the New Living
Translation (NLT) it appears 337 times in 326 verses. That is a lot of obeying. Obedience flows through the Old
and New Testaments. Adam and Eve, as well as Noah, were given instruction.
Do not eat...Build a boat. Direction from God specifically to
"obey" began with Abraham and God’s covenant with him.
"I will confirm my covenant with you
and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the
everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants
after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a
foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever,
and I will be their God." Then God said to Abraham, "Your
responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your
descendants have this continual responsibility. This is the covenant that you
and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. "
Genesis 17:7-10.
Circumcision was an outward sign of
obedience. Read on in Genesis 17 and it tells us that Abraham, his son Ishmael
(that was before Isaac was born) and all of the male members of his household
were circumcised that day. That was obedience. At that point in history the Ten
Commandments had not been given, but the mandate that God gave Abraham involved
obedience. Abraham was respectful to God—he obeyed. How respectful to God are
we? Do we obey Jesus’ commands? Consider His response when asked about the
commandments.
"Teacher, which is the most important
commandment in the law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "'You must love the
LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is
the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are
based on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40.
Do you obey these commandments? Totally?
How do you honor the Lord your God with all the love of your heart, soul and
mind? How do you show your neighbor that you love them as yourself? Obey and
live a long life.
Prayer
~ Lord God—I love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Open my eyes
and heart to ways that I can show my neighbors…those whose paths cross mine,
not just those who live next-door, love and respect.
Happy Birthday – Brother Joe!
May you and your family enjoy a long life
of blessings and love!
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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