His Commandments Are Not Grievous

One of the concerns that people have when they come to the Lord for the first time is leaving behind the certainties of the past life they have experienced and coming to familiarize themselves with and embrace the unknown in the walk with God. Take the patriarch, Abraham, for an example; God called him and asked him to leave his father and mother and come to a land where he would be shown. At 75 years old, Abraham was probably well-established in the land and had a lot of connections with the people. His father was a prominent individual and was already caring for his nephew, Lot. He had the gods he worshipped, who so far had sustained him in making life’s decisions like his career, cattle rearing, his life partner, Sarah, and who had made him prosperous. Leaving those things behind without the certainty of the next day must have seemed overwhelming, but Abraham obeyed.

Like Abraham, many of us encounter God at different stages of life. Perhaps friends, family, money, connections, or experiences have served us well until God’s call comes running after us. We want to follow him and dedicate ourselves to him if only we could remain where we were. The comfort of the known seems reassuring; perhaps we can add Jesus to the mix of our former lifestyle so that he can be the loving, soothing, caring tonic. We might justify that by considering the dangers the unknown offers us. However, like other things in life, we ought to obey and follow Christ. John A. Shed said, “A ship is safe in harbour
r, but that's not what ships are built for.”

Let’s take the example of a child attending elementary school for the first time. For the first time in the child’s life, they are stepping away from the comfort of their home. Many kids cry and refuse to go to school, but their parents lovingly insist on the child going there. An ignorant onlooker might say that the parents do not love their child for insisting that they go to school, even when the child doesn’t want to. However, every wise parent knows that the outcome of that learning process would both equip the child and prepare him for the best possibility of the future. Their love and knowledge make them insist that the child goes to school to acquire knowledge that would be beneficial. Although the possibilities of bullies in school, accidents on the road, mass shootings, and teachers who molest kids exist, parents are willing to take that risk to send their kids to school for a greater part of their lives because of the limited knowledge they have.

Now see what Jesus Christ said when he compared God to parents in Mathew 7: 11: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Our best intentions and actions toward our children are evil when compared to God’s intentions and actions toward us. This background leads us to the main point about God’s commandments being not grievous. In 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” Hallelujah!! Praise God!!! This tells us something about the intention of God’s instructions for our lives. His commandments are given in love for us. This same Lord said in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” So, it is important to understand that instructions given by the Lord come from an absolute love and desire for the best thing he has for us.

So many examples are replete in the scriptures, but going back to the story of the patriarch, Abraham, we see that in obeying the Lord, God made him the father of faith. His life proved that God was real. For one, although he had lived the first 75 years of his life in oblivion, he had the next 100 years that God had prepared for him. Again, his wife, Sarah, did not have a son before God’s call. It is not certain if she would have given birth to Isaac, resulting in Jacob, Judah, David, and our Lord Jesus Christ eventually, if Abraham didn’t choose to hearken to the call. At that moment, it seemed as though Abraham was losing a lot, but in retrospect, we see that he lost the old identity to gain the new one of excellence in all ramifications. He lived a life that counted both in time and eternity by choosing to obey. Take any Bible character who made it, and you would see that at some point, they had to follow a commandment that resulted in something more significant than the life they were living. Conversely, look at Samson, who neglected God’s commandment and eventually lost his sight, vision, and mission.

Taking this to our lives in our generation, when God calls us, many times he asks us to leave some things behind. For some, it might be the sin partner, boyfriend, and girlfriends you have. For others, it might be to leave some dressing styles or develop stricter regulations regarding your time. Maybe God wants you to stop spending time on social media because it corrupts your soul. Or perhaps he wants you to give him more, pray at certain times, or stop reading some kinds of novels or seeing movies that pollute your heart. As our calls are different, so are the requisite concentrations given to them. I will repeat a question my father would ask me whenever he saw me spending time on certain activities. How is this thing drawing you closer to God or closer to the fulfillment of God’s plan for your life? If you can’t give a definite answer, perhaps you should evaluate those activities.

The danger in persisting in the “way that seemeth right unto a man… [is that] the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). If you critically evaluate your actions, you may find out that although those things God has told you to leave might not be sinful in themselves, they break the hedge God has place around you, making it possible for the serpent to bite (Ecclesiastics 10:8). How long would you allow the serpent to continue to bite? Why not give God a chance and obey His commandments? In attempting to obey, we find out that we cannot do it ourselves; hence, we depend on his grace daily. That intention helps us seek His word for clarity and guides our actions, thoughts, and pursuits. With the mindset of obeying His commandments, the bounties that he has prepared for us become readily available, and we understand him essentially. At that point, God no longer becomes the God of our fathers. He now becomes our God. We know him experientially, and we can learn from him and take His easy yoke and light burden.

Beloved, God is calling again. His commandments are not grievous. They are the gateway for the life of fulfillment and prophecy that he has established for you. Why not give him a chance in obedience, and you shall taste and see that the Lord is indeed good! May His grace increase and abound in our lives in Jesus’ name. Amen!