The Hidden Treasures of Obedience

Title: The Hidden Treasures of Obedience

Scripture: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.” – Deuteronomy 28:1-2

Introduction
Treasures are often hidden deep within the earth to make it safe and difficult to find. God’s words contain hidden treasures within it that only the diligent will find. The book of Deuteronomy 28 is full of pronouncement of God’s blessings, which hinges on the key of Obedience. Obedience is more that simply following rules and regulations blindly, it requires walking within the boundaries set by God and if we break those boundaries there will be consequences.

Our Obedience is an act of our will. It is a natural result of our trust in God in every aspect of your life. If you are having a difficult time trusting God, then you will have a challenge in obeying His commandments. God’s instructions sometimes come at most inconvenient time for us. He is a master at messing up our plans. Imagine a sunny day, where every looks normal, when suddenly God spoke to Abraham telling him to leave his entire family and all he had ever known to travel to an unknown destination (See Genesis 12:1-2). But In the end the scriptures says in Genesis 24:1 “And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.”

Sometimes also God’s instructions can be illogical, for example during the days of Isaac there was famine, in other words there was an economic recession yet God told Isaac to stay in the land where there was famine (Genesis 26: 1-2). In the end , the scripture tells us “Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.” – Genesis 26:12

Other times God’s instructions could take us through the most painful process. Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane knowing fully well what was before Him, yet He was obedient to the death on the cross (Matthew 26:36-46, Philippians 2:8). In the end the scripture tells us “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

A few Benefits of Obedience

Obedience is the master key to a world of blessings: Deut. 28: 1-13
Obedience gives power to prayer: 1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight
Obedience frees us from slavery to sin. Rom. 6:16-18
Obedience brings peace: Philippians 4:9 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Obedience brings perfect happiness and contentment

Conclusion
Healthy obedience is not just a matter of blind or purposeless following. Rather, it is an intentional, personal striving for holiness. The smartest way to outsmart the devil is obey God. Just as Jesus made the conscious decision to be obedient, so must we make a conscious decision to do the same.

Prayers