What Does God Require? part 6

This will be the last post on Deuteronomy 10:12-13. I will try to keep it brief. And amazing.

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good. - Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Here is my understanding this requirement:

1. Order of operations
Notice that this requirement comes at the end of the list; I think that's important to note. Far too often, we are tempted to feel like our relationship with God is contingent on our ability to tow the line. As Christians, we must continue to preach the gospel to ourselves: our salvation is a free gift from God and it is not of works. As Pastor Tullian Tchevidjian puts it, ""Once the gospel frees you from the enslaving pressure to do anything for Jesus, you'll want to do everything for Jesus." Works come after grace.

2. The Commandments of the Lord
Everyone wants to have some modicum of control over your life. The government, the media, family, friends, bosses, coworkers - everybody has an opinion on how you should live, behave, think and speak. Our society is filled with rules, both spoken and unspoken. At the end of the day, the only "rules" that we should be concerned with are those of the Lord. When I die and stand before God, it will not matter one bit if I "played the right part" at my school, my work, my social club. God's commandments take precedence over cultural commandments.

3. For Your Good
I have quite a few rules for my daughters. They aren't allowed to play in the road, for example. The neighborhood that we live in is still in development and we have a lot of dump trucks and semis driving up and down our road frequently. 2 summers ago, our neighbors' dog ran out in front of a truck and was killed. Would my girls like to play in the road? Heck, yes! Do they at 6, 5, and 1 have the presence of mind to not make a mistake like the neighbors' dog? Sometimes...Do they gripe and complain that my rules are unfair and unnecessary? Often. In the same way, God gives us rules for our good. Know that He has your best interest at heart and knows infinitely more about what is good for you. Trust His intentions for you.

I hope that this series has been beneficial for you. I like writing topically, but often it's just good to go through the scripture with a fine tooth comb. My hope and prayer is that anything I write would point you to Jesus and cause you to desire to dig into the scriptures for yourself.