Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NLT
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the lord ’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
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1) Fear/Respect/Hold in Awe the Lord your God
2) Live in a way that pleases God
3) Love and serve him with all your heart and soul
4) Obey the Lord’s commandments
And some may say, but that is Old Testament. I’m under grace.
Yes, grace is sufficient. But let’s be sure that we know grace. Grace isn’t just acknowledging the existence of Christ and then turning our backs to live a life chasing sin. If we have the Holy Spirit in us, won’t He convict us and guide us and lead us in His ways and in His Truth?
So let’s be sure that we aren’t only claiming to be his children, but we are living as his children. Let’s be sure that we are alive in Christ, not dead in sin. If we are saved, we weren’t saved so we could teach others how to sin and to die separated from Christ in their sin – we are saved to be set apart from the world, to love and serve others and to despise and avoid sin in our own lives, and to be a light to others.
FEAR GOD
Yes, if we are not in a close relationship with God, we have much to fear. If we are walking close with him daily, even moment to moment, it shifts more to awe and respect. But even if we think that we are walking hand in hand with God, we should respect and honor God as worthy of our awe that the creator of everything, the Almighty God, the Alpha and the Omega, would take interest in such a creature as ourselves. Humility in the presence of God.
Matthew 10:28 KJV
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 1:50 KJV
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
LIVE IN A WAY THAT PLEASES GOD
We are to do good and share what we have. We are to renew our minds and present our lives as a living sacrifice, loving and helping others. Repeated offerings for continued sin isn’t what pleases God, but a repented life of mercy and love and forgiveness and service unto others is a pleasing aroma to God.
Hebrews 13:15-16 ESV
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV / 4 helpful votes
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
LOVE AND SERVE GOD
What an amazing opportunity! We get to serve God! In the days of Moses, many served the people, but only the high priest got to interact with the presence of God. Only one man, once a year got to go into the presence of God once a year. Now, we who have Christ in us have the opportunity to draw near to Him ourselves. We don’t have to be theologically trained in order to share our own testimony! We don’t have to get approval from anyone to love and serve others in the name of Jesus Christ and for the honor of God, we just have to put down the chips and the TV remote and get to work loving and serving others and telling them about our Jesus.
1 Samuel 12:24 ESV
Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.
Colossians 3:23-24 ESV
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
OBEY
It is clear that we do not receive Christ in order to remain the same in our sinful lives. But He flips our perspective. When we were evil and in darkness, we despised the list of religious rules, we didn’t want our lives and our desires brought into the light. But when we are his, we love this book of helpful instruction, we want this old filth from our old lives swept out so this temple is equipped for his use and his dwelling with us. Godly obedience is in our hearts, not just in our outward actions. If we follow the rules begrudgingly, we might just be practicing religion. But if we appreciate the guidance and the help as our lives are cleaned up by a repentant heart, that is the type of obedience that meets the mark – change within our hearts and attitudes.
Harold J. Ballinger 