Walking in Obedience
Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 30:11-20
I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him …
Deuteronomy 30:16
In one of his final addresses to the Israelites, Moses urged the people to remain faithful to God in the land they were entering. He reaffirmed the blessings and curses that God had established in his covenant. God would bless them as long as they walked in his ways and kept his commands. But if they did not, God would bring punishment on them.
Today, God’s new covenant with us is established through the good news of Jesus Christ. Keeping covenant means embracing the transforming grace of Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit by whom we serve God faithfully. Rejecting the covenant means rejecting God’s claim on our lives. The path through Jesus leads to eternal life; the path of rejection leads to death—not just physical death, which happens to all, but complete separation from God.
The starkness of this choice makes many people today feel uncomfortable. They want a kind, loving God, who only blesses them and never punishes anyone. But that’s not the God we meet in the Bible. The message of Scripture is that, through Jesus, God has provided the salvation we need in order to have eternal life. So there is no personal issue greater than a walk of faith and obedience with our Lord. If you aren’t on that road, pray for the Spirit’s power to bring you close to the Savior’s side.
Lord, help me to walk in your way every day so that I may experience your love. Help me day by day to choose the road that leads to eternal life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Adrian A. Helleman
Dr. Adrian Helleman served as a pastor in British Columbia before being called to serve as a missionary-teacher in the Philippines. He and his wife, Wendy, later taught philosophy at Moscow State University in Russia, and then philosophy and theology at the University of Jos in Nigeria. They have also lectured in Canada, the United States, South Africa, and Tanzania. They have three children and three grandchildren.
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