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Blessing Through Obedience

Proverbs 3:1-2 (ESV) -- My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

There are famous stories of harsh punishments for criminals. One of the punishments is the idea of moving piles of rocks or dirt from one place to another for no reason. The task is tedious, tiresome, and difficult. When completed, there is no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction because moving it didn’t serve a purpose. And it is followed by starting all over again to move somewhere else. In this scenario, moving the pile of rocks comes with no reward. It is pure hard labor. 

The proverb we are looking at today tells us God’s commands are not this way. God does not give us arbitrary or meaningless commands. He doesn’t point to a task for the sake of keeping us busy or punishing us. The proverb says, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.”

Keeping the commandments of God brings blessing. They add to our days. This is a truism, it isn’t a guarantee. Someone can keep God’s commands and die in a car accident. The proverb is stating a truism about those who obey what God commands. It brings blessing. It brings flourishing to their lives. Why? Because God knows what is best for us and commands us in such a way that brings shalom. The good life is found in God. 

Are you keeping the commands of the Lord? There is blessing in your obedience. Those commands, even when difficult to follow, are not without reward. Life and peace come to those who follow the teaching of truth and guide their heart to keep the commandments of the Lord.


Reflection & Journal:
- What do most feel about obedience? 
- How does this passage teach us about the reward of obedience?
- Why is remembering the reward attached to something a good motivator?


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