Choice Obedience


Deuteronomy 30:11 (NIV)
“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.”

Moses is talking to the Israelites before entering into the promise land, he just finished laying out all of the laws, blessings, curses etc. How often do we hear people say it is too hard to do something that they are told to? I know from being a kid and having siblings that this is a common natural thought. Moses jumps out ahead of that thought before he is finished speaking to tell us that it is not too difficult to do what has been commanded by God.

He continues on to sum up and reiterate in verses 15 and 16, “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands and decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.” The thing is, God always gives us a choice, it is our decision whether to be obedient or disobedient. Moses already told us, it is not too hard to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands and decrees and laws. We are told what to do, it is laid out before us what is right and what is wrong. We have to make that choice every time we are confronted with temptation. We have the word of God that is a guide for us to use, yet many of us do not even open it. How can you obey something if you do not even know what it says?

I notice in Sunday school and Bible studies, that we look back on the Israelites and decisions that they made, and in retrospect ask, “Why are they so stupid? If they only would have been obedient!” Many times in our lives we are just as disobedient and cold hearted about the matter, until the punishment, trials, or trouble comes our way. We are to always love God and be obedient to him. If we love someone, than we spend time with them, getting to know them better. So loving God is spending time with him, praying, reading the bible, or worshiping him. Just like when playing sports, dancing, or working together regularly, you get to know what the other one expects, what they want you to do in different situations. So if you are putting in the time to get to know God, than the obedience will become easier. In every moment you have the choice to be obedient or disobedient. Just like when it comes to salvation, we can choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior or reject the name of Christ.

Challenge: Are you living life in obedience to God? Take time in every situation to ask yourself, “What would God want me to do?” Or the old saying, “What would Jesus do?”

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 (NIV)

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