One of my favorite portions of Scripture is (Psalm 19:7-11). It reads as follows:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
In a nutshell these verses share that the Word of God is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true. Not only that but this passage tells us that the Scriptures are more desirable than gold. But what really caught my eye is when we read in (verse 11) that the Bible is a book that is full of warnings and rewards. You see my friends it all comes down to whether we choose to obey the commands God has given us in His holy Word or not. When we choose to disobey the Bible tells us what we stand to lose. And when we obey the Word, the Bible tells us the many blessings we will be rewarded with.
If you have been following my website for any length of time you probably are aware that I look at the word obedience as a beautiful word. Back on March 3, 2022 I shared a devotion entitled, The Blessings of Obedience. In this devotion I shared the following: “When we choose to go our own way and disobey God’s commands, yes, we accrue, in some small measure, momentary pleasures, but at a very high cost. First, joy cannot coexist in the heart of a disobedient believer. Second, peace with God is forfeited. Third, our prayers to God will often go unanswered. Fourth, anxiety and worry will cause us many sleepless nights. And fifth, that sweet fellowship with Jesus will temporarily vanish. Thus, we see that there is a high price to paid as a follower of Christ, who chooses to walk in disobedience. However, when we are walking in obedience to Christ these above five negative points change into amazing blessings.”
I cannot stress enough that while salvation is a free gift of God and cannot be earned through good works, the blessings of God are a byproduct of obedience to the commands of God.
When God was speaking to the children of Israel in (Deuteronomy 28) He spends 68 verses outlining the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience to the Word of God. For we read: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). He then goes on to list the blessings or rewards for obeying His Word. But He then goes on to share: “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” (Deuteronomy 28:15). And for the remainder of the chapter, God warns us of all the curses that the Israelites will accrue for being disobedient to His commands.
When we obey the Word of God get ready to be blessed in a myriad of ways. Granted some of these blessings, we will not get until we reach heaven, but I can’t wait to experience them in my future home. And as far as warnings go, I think all of us, as Christians, can attest to the peace, joy, and answered prayer we forfeit when we disobey God’s clear teachings. So choose to obey and get ready to be blessed!