INTRODUCTION

The children of Israel had an important decision to make: whether to obey the Lord or unwisely refuse to obey Him. The Lord assured His children that their obedience would pay off with fruitful dividends. He promised to bless their obedience and curse their disobedience. The Bible clearly lists the blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14 [1] 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: [2] And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. [3] Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. [4] Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. [5] Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. [6] Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. [7] The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. [8] The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. [9] The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. [10] And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. [11] And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. [12] The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. [13] And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: [14] And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
See All...). Though the blessings of obedience can vary from one person to the next, obedience always yields God's blessing. For instance, Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed in his seed because he obeyed the voice of the Lord (Genesis 22:18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
See All...). Isaiah told the Israelites that, if they would obey, they would eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
See All...). Jeremiah told his audience that their obedience would cause it to be well with their soul and that their souls would live (Jeremiah 38:20But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
See All...). Blessings received from obedience may vary, but the blessings of obedience are well worth any temporary fleshly sacrifice.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Obeying makes us feel good inside. Sometimes it brings rewards – an ice cream cone, a new toy, staying up a little later one night, etc. Yet, the best reward is knowing that what you've done is well pleasing to the Lord (Colossians 3:20Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
  See All...).
• (For everyone): What are some blessings that a child might receive by obeying his parents? What are some blessings that a worker might receive by obeying his boss? What are some blessings that believers might receive by obeying the Lord?
• How do you feel when you have obeyed when no one is watching? Do you feel a sense of joy or feelings of remorse for doing right? The joy that we feel and the lack of guilt might be an element of the blessings of obedience.

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to help you see the blessings resulting from obedience.
• Ask the Lord to help you consider the negative consequences resulting from making a decision to disobey.

HYMN

Trust and Obey

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