Daily Devotion: Obeying the Lord's Commands

Scripture:
Deuteronomy  6: 1-25

Main Verse:
Deuteronomy 6: 24
The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.

Observation:
When God gave the commandments to the Israelites, He specifically ordered them to observe them and follow them with all their heart and soul. The Lord wanted to impress upon the Israelites how important it is for them to obey the Lord. The Lord wanted them to keep his commandments in their hearts (v. 6), teach His decrees to their children (v. 7), tie them like symbols in their hands and bind them on their foreheads (v. 8), and write them on their house's and gate's doorframes (v. 9). The Lord was simply telling them to never forget His commandments. And in return, the Lord promised that they will live longer days (v. 2), have an abundant life (v. 3), an enlarged territory (v. 18), victory over their enemies(v. 19), prosperity (v. 24), and righteousness ( v. 25).

The Lord truly loved Israel. Despite having sinned against the Lord several times, He was so good to them that He kept on forgiving them even though they repeatedly sinned against Him.

Application:
We know that God is good and that he is ready to forgive anytime, but that does not mean we have the liberty to sin or to do whatever we wish. He wants to give us an abundant life, a life filled to the brim, a victorious and righteous life, but to achieve this, we need to learn to obey His commands. Is it easy? NO. But we have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who can help us lead a victorious life. If we want the Lord to bless us, ask Him to help us follow His commands. Obedience starts in our heart. If our heart's desire is to follow the Lord, then we would want to obey the Lord's commands because we love the Lord and we do not want to hurt Him. If we truly fear the Lord, then we understand the consequences of disobedience. If we love the Lord, obedience comes automatic.

Prayer:
Father, search my heart so that you may truly see that I desire to obey your commands. I want to follow you, my Lord, until my last breath. Help me achieve this through the Holy Spirit. I want to honor you in my life. AMEN.