Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
When I see the beginning of our Scripture, I see the word "so." It makes me want to know why it's there. Let's go back one verse.
If we read back one verse, it says this: "Think about it. Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in His ways and fearing Him." Why do we start out with parenting? Why did the Lord decide to parallel obeying commands to a loving God, a loving Father who disciplines His kids?
Rethinking Obedience
I think sometimes we think about the word discipline or obedience, and it gets a bad reputation. I know for me, if I think about it, I've thought how obedience is used as a manipulation tool. If you do this for me, it's because you love me. And if you don't love me, you won't do this. It makes you feel guilty. I don't want to feel guilty. And I know that the Lord doesn't want me to feel guilty when I'm in Jesus. So what am I supposed to do with this Scripture?
The Fence Illustration
When I think about this, I picture a front yard of a house. Maybe you could go there with me in your mind. Some parents are sending their kids outside to play, and they say, "Don't go close to the street." You might be one of two kids: the kid who sees how close to the street they can get without getting hurt, or the kid who says, "I don't want to go anywhere close to it," and they don't leave the house. Imagine how different the dynamic of those kids would be if there were a fence around the front yard.
The fence is not there to keep them from having fun. It's actually there to secure them so that they can have fun in freedom. They can throw the ball around, and if it goes over the fence, they have someone go get it for them, but they don't have to worry. I think sometimes we think about God as someone who likes to strip all the fun out of everything because of all the things He tells us to do. Maybe God knows something we don't. Maybe He sees us in a way we don't see ourselves. He understands us in a way that we don't understand ourselves.
Obedience as Relationship
When I think about when God asks us to obey Him, I sometimes have to challenge the way I process that word. I even think about Jesus later on, down the road from Deuteronomy. He's talking to His disciples and He says, "If you love Me, you'll obey My commands." My first inclination is to think that feels a little manipulative. Why would you say that to me? Then I think about this: imagine an enemy of yours coming to you and telling you to do something. Would you push back? Would you resist it? I know I would. But if I have a best friend come to me, one that I've spent time coming to know and love deeply, and they tell me to do something passionately because they believe in it, I'm a lot quicker to say yes to that person than I would be to my enemy.
When I hear Jesus say, "If you love Me, you'll obey My commands," I don't hear that as manipulation. I hear it as a relationship, a friendship. If you truly love Me, you'll do what I tell you. Why? Because I have to believe that Jesus knows me better than I know myself, and that He sees if I get too close to the street, I could get hit by a car. If I stay too close to the house, I won't experience the life He has for me.
Freedom Within Boundaries
The limitations God puts up for us when He asks us to obey Him are not there to hinder us or keep us from having fun. They're there to set us up for victory, and they're there to help us know Him so much better.