It is just a little cheat

How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! (Psalm 128:1-2 NLT)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom as scripture says, and to live a fruitful life, one must choose to serve the Lord with all their heart, mind, and soul. We cannot expect fruit where there has been no investment in the preparation for that harvest. If we just go out to the garden and expect to always see fruit on our tomato plant, but we haven't watered, turned the soil, sprayed for pesty bugs, and kept them shaded from the hot Arizona afternoon sun, our harvest will be piddly and not really all that enjoyable. Yet, if we do those things, we stand a much better chance of big red, juicy tomatoes. The 'prep' work is important if we want to see a harvest in our spiritual lives, as well.

The choice to follow ALL of his ways is one that yields much fruit, but we cannot pick and choose which one of his 'ways' we will follow and which ones we will disregard. His commands are without negotiation. His truth is without compromise. We cannot choose to tell 'the little white lies' when the situation seems to call for 'soft dishonesty' and expect to be seen as truthful when 'whole-hearted honesty' is demanded. The servant cannot be 'partially committed' to the service of the King. He or she must choose a whole-hearted dedication to all the King desires. 

Obedience is never conditional, yet we might find ourselves putting 'conditions' on our obedience at times. It is fine to be obedient when the obedience 'serves us' well, but it is harder to be obedient when we don't see the immediate reward of that obedience, isn't it? Eat well, exercise regularly, and lose weight. Is the weight loss immediate? Nope, but I wish it was! It is hard to be 'obedient' to the plan for the long-term because it is in our nature to 'cheat' from time to time. That one-time 'cheat' might lead to a second one, then a third, and so on. Soon, the weight we lost is right back on again!

Did the 'cheating' serve us well in the long run? Nope, but in the short-term it gave us a little pleasure. Sin is just like that - it serves us well in the short-term, but the long-term outcome may not be exactly what we hoped to see. The choice for obedience is not made one time. It is a consistent effort to choose wisely each and every time. It requires getting to know the ways our disobedience dupes us into believing the little 'cheat' won't matter in the long run. It requires us understanding the choice that is best rather than the choice that is easiest.

Tend well the truths God reveals in his Word and you will delight in the harvest that obedience produces. The more we choose to live according to his instructions, the more we will find the harvest growing in our lives. Just sayin!