There is more to our obedience than gratitude alone. As God brought the people of Israel into the land of promise, there to enjoy all that He had prepared for them, so He has given us exceeding great and precious promises (2 Pet. 1.4) so that, by them, we might actually participate in Him. These promises – summarized in the idea that God has blessed us so that we might be a blessing (Gen. 12.1-3) – are ours to the extent that we walk within God’s ways, according to His Laws.

We must teach the promises of God to our children (Ps. 78.1-8) so that they might grow up desiring these above all else. Gratitude for redemption and the hope of the promises are powerful motivators for obedience to God’s Law. But if we fail to live by this Law, and to teach it to our children, we will never know the promises that God has for us in Jesus.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.