Deuteronomy 10:12–13: “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 and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?”

February 25th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Through Moses, God gave them 5 basic requirements that were expected of them as the people of God. They were: 1. to reverence or honor the Lord by submitting to and having the highest respect for Him; 2. to walk in all God’s ways, meaning they were to conduct their lives according to His ways; 3. to love God over all other things or people; 4. to worship the Lord as the central, focal point of their lives, which would be the natural outcome of loving Him; 5. to obey the requirements of the Law that the Lord had given them.

God gives them a simple but profound reason for doing these things: “for your good.”

This may sound strange to a young believer’s ears—that God’s commandments are actually for our own good. So often our selfish hearts view any limits to our “freedom” as something that hinders or hurts our chances at having a full, enjoyable life. But in fact the opposite is true. If for example we follow God’s law, and only have an intimate relationship with our spouse, all the days of our lives, and the same limits are exercised by our spouse, then there is very little, if any, chance of ever getting a venereal disease, not to mention the emotional protection that comes with having one partner. We see that rather than limiting us and making life “less free,” it turns out that carefully following the LORD brings automatic blessings in the way of a lack of many diseases: spiritually, physically, and mentally. And in the end, if we live a life following God’s commands, we find that we are so much freer from the scars and excess baggage of sin.

“LORD forgive me for thinking of Your ways as limiting when in fact they are designed to bring me freedom and protection.”