Today the Lord is making this agreement with you:
you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you;
and provided you keep all his commandments,
he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory
above all other nations he has made,
and you will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God,
as he promised. (Dt 26:18-19)
It’s not like He’s asking us to torture ourselves or anything. All we need to do is keep His commandments.
Why do some people treat that like torture?
The fact of the matter is that, from the time we first begin to negotiate our way in this world, we do all that we can to assert ourselves, to set our own destiny, to take control.
We do not like to think about anyone else being in control. And we certainly don’t like to play by other people’s rules.
I think that is the inherent problem that we have with the Lord: we struggle with the need to accept His commandments because, truth be told, we would rather have the Lord comply with our wishes than vice versa.
However, God is the one in control. He is the one in charge. He is the one that calls us into existence. He is the one that will take us out of this existence when He calls us to Himself.
He is the one, then, who should be obeyed. All we have to do is to obey His commandments and all will be fine.
FAITH ACTION: Let God be in charge of your life this day.