Where He Leads I Will Follow: Obeying the Law

 

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Deuteronomy 11:18

 I see more and more in society where people are seeking to have a long life, to lengthen their days and stay healthy and strong longer. While medical science has found ways to elongate our lives, those extra days and years are not always fruitful or enjoyable. So, how do we set about realistically to live a good, long, healthy, happy life? Thousands of years ago, God told us how in His Word!

Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.  Deuteronomy 5:33

 The world tells us that living by God’s commands is limiting, that it keeps us from fun or freedom or pleasure, but the truth is the exact opposite. In living God’s way, we can find true peace, enjoyable life, and complete freedom. In fact, it is only in Jesus that we can truly, fully find these things. God’s commands are not burdensome; they are not meant to weigh us down or squish us. No! They are life and hope! 

 What kinds of commands do we encounter in the Bible? Well, for one, we are commanded to worship the LORD, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." (John 4:24). I wrote a few months back about the way worship changes our focus and our hearts, making even rough days wonderful. Worship reminds us of who God is and all of His wonderful promises to us. God commanded us to worship Him not because He needed or wanted it, but because it was best for us. It keeps us grounded, focused on what's important, and surrounded by His loving care.

 Another command we read but don't always understand is "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8) Seriously, we were made with a need to rest. Fighting this, pushing through, overcommitting, none of this gets us anywhere good. Take a break! It’s a blessing, a gift. The Israelites took this gift-command and turned it into a burden, adding on innumerable laws that made pushing a button or writing a sentence a punishable offense. But, if you return to God's perfect law and commands, His intentions for us in this Sabbath rest are beautiful. "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns." (Exodus 20:9-10). God didn't bog this down with a whole bunch of requirements or specificity, He just said, "Rest!" 

 Most of the rest of the ten commandments are summed up by Jesus as, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31a). If you love your neighbor, you won’t steal from them or lie about them or murder them. If we live a life loving others, it will only bless us and the world. Hating others, holding grudges, carrying the burden of envy, greed or resentment, that’s a miserable life. Loving others is a powerful recipe for a good, long life.

 And, most importantly, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30). Whatever you place first in your life – your job, your family, your finances – that is your god. That is what you “worship.” That is what gets the bulk of your focus. If we place God in that rightful position in our lives, when we give Him the bulk of our focus and attention, when we seek to please and obey Him, then and only then will we find peace and joy. In order to rest comfortably, we need to have our lives in order, and the only way to do that is to put things in their proper places. The only proper place to put God is first, and if He’s not there the rest of your life will always feel in disarray.

Here’s the Thing: It seems a little funny for someone going through radiation for a brain tumor, someone with a shorter life prognosis, to be writing about having a long, healthy life, but it feels right to me today. Not everyone’s long is the same. Perhaps I’ve already had a longer that projected life with the health challenges I face! And on that note, while I have health challenges, I still feel blessed and fulfilled and hopeful in the midst of them. I feel like I’m the healthiest sick person there is 😂. I can’t imagine a better life than the one I live with God at the center, guiding me every step, protecting and providing, blessing me beyond measure.