05/29/2026
GOD COMMANDS
A lot of people treat the commands of God like optional advice.
They read the Bible like God is making suggestions.
Love your enemies if you feel ready.
Forgive others if they deserve it.
Deny yourself if it is convenient.
Carry your cross if it does not cost too much.
Repent if your sin becomes too obvious.
Pray without ceasing if life slows down.
Follow Jesus as long as He does not interrupt your plans.
But that is not biblical Christianity.
Jesus did not call people into casual agreement.
He called people into obedience.
God commands us to love our enemies because love is not only proven when people are easy to love.
Anyone can love the person who celebrates them.
Anyone can love the person who agrees with them.
Anyone can love the person who gives them something in return.
But Jesus calls His people to a deeper kind of love.
A love that does not become wicked just because someone else was wicked first.
A love that refuses to let hatred become lord over the heart.
God commands us to forgive others because unforgiveness feels powerful at first, but it slowly becomes a prison.
Forgiveness does not mean the wound was small.
Forgiveness does not mean trust is automatically restored.
Forgiveness does not mean evil is excused.
It means you release the right to become consumed by revenge and place justice back into the hands of God.
God commands us to deny ourselves because the self cannot be the center of a surrendered life.
That alone confronts our generation.
Because everything in the world tells us to follow our feelings, trust our desires, protect our comfort, build our identity around ourselves, and never let anyone tell us no.
But Jesus says deny yourself.
Not worship yourself.
Not obey every impulse.
Not make your emotions your god.
Deny yourself.
God commands us to carry our cross because following Jesus is not just about receiving blessing.
It is about dying to the old life.
Dying to pride.
Dying to lust.
Dying to bitterness.
Dying to selfish ambition.
Dying to the version of you that wants Jesus as Savior but refuses Him as Lord.
God commands us to repent because sin is not something to manage.
It is something to turn from.
Repentance is not God trying to shame you.
It is God calling you out of what is killing you.
A person who loves their sin more than they love the truth will always see repentance as offensive.
But the person who wants freedom will see repentance as mercy.
God commands us to pray without ceasing because prayer is not just a religious habit.
It is dependence.
It is staying connected to the One who has the authority, wisdom, power, and peace we do not have on our own.
Prayer reminds the soul that we are not God.
And God commands us to follow Jesus.
Not admire Him.
Not quote Him when it is useful.
Not use His name for a platform.
Not claim Him while living like He has no authority.
Follow Him.
That means His words matter.
His commands matter.
His example matters.
His correction matters.
His lordship matters.
This is where many people struggle.
They want Jesus to save them, but not lead them.
They want grace, but not surrender.
They want blessing, but not obedience.
They want a cross around their neck, but not a cross on their back.
But Jesus said if anyone would come after Him, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Him.
Daily.
Not only when it is easy.
Not only when emotions are high.
Not only when the church service is powerful.
Daily.
God’s commands are not chains.
They are the path of life.
The world says obedience limits you.
Scripture says obedience protects you.
The world says surrender makes you weak.
Scripture says surrender is where true life begins.
So the question is not whether God has spoken clearly.
The question is whether we are willing to obey.
Luke 9:23
