Love, Commandment, Blessing June 8 2026

The Bible commandments reveal the character of God, showing His holiness, righteousness and love. But the idea that we must obey all and not falter in our lives leaves us helpless without the true knowledge of God’s real purpose in giving us His commandments. 613 is the stated number of commands in the Old Testament law. New Testament commandments are said to be 1000. (Although New Testament Commandments are not all,” thou shalt or go to hell.” They are more a way to live and follow Christ. Notice I didn’t say, “optional”. I wonder if a person could tally commands broken or obeyed towards the end of life and come up with a number percentage- wise that will assure him safe space in heaven? I’m thinking it’s going to be way off. So don’t even try! Talk to God.

Why are there commandments in the bible?

Because of the disorder of sin in the world?

Because God wanted a way to tell who loved Him and who didn’t?

As protection for us against the works of the devil ?

So that people can be blessed ?

We could live in peace?

Length of days and long life?

Favor and high esteem with God and man?

He shall direct your paths?

Health to your flesh and strength to your bones?

Prosperity?

Be a father to you and a son or daughter in whom He delights?

In short, God gave the commandments so that His original design could be realized again in people. 

When the earth was new, no devil, no sin, there was a relationship with God per His plan. Things started falling apart when sin entered. You get the correlation. So for the world to survive, God had to be able to communicate to all men through people like Moses, Abraham, etc. Jesus had to be born into the earth. If you’ve never read Proverbs 3 now’s the time, because you are going to hopefully see some things maybe you had not seen before.

Proverbs 3:1-12

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; (notice it didn’t say let your flesh keep the commands)2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;3 Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. (What is the fear of the Lord?)The fear of the Lord in the Bible refers to a deep respect, honor, and reverence for God, recognizing His authority and holiness. It is described as the foundation of wisdom and leads to a life of obedience and understanding and doing of God's will) 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase;10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction;12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

Did anyone notice something about this section of Proverbs 3?

What I see is that after every command is a blessing with a promise!

It sounds like cause and effect. Is there cause and effect in the realm of the spirit?  Yup. It also sounds like instruction to a learner. Let’s see if we can find this type of instruction in what Jesus said.

John 14:15-23  “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”  Oh, this looks like a pattern. Jesus wrote both of these. Let’s read another.

¹⁹ “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰ At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. ²¹ He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest (reveal) Myself to him.” 

^{22 “}Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

^23” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My Words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

John 15:5-8 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”  A divine pattern for sure. Jesus is the same. O.T. and N.T.

Command, definition verb intransitive ‘To have or to exercise supreme authority; to possess the chief power; to govern; as, the general commands with dignity and humanity.’  Webster's 1828 Dictionary

Jesus, does He have the authority to command His people? Of course.

“The Word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:24 The Father is the Chief Authority in the universe! He’s the One who is holding it all together! Yet, He says His commands are not burdensome. 

1John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

Burdensome, Adjective ‘Heavy; grievous to be borne; causing uneasiness or fatigue; oppressive.’ Webster's 1828 Dictionary

That’s our English word, burdensome.

You know something else the bible calls a heavy weight is sin. So heavy it crushed Jesus as He bore it away from us!  Isaiah 53:5 Amplified “But He was wounded for our transgressions,  He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.” 

Does an Army sergeant have the right to command new recruits? Upon arrival, the drill sergeant or instructor will shout orders to get the recruits moving. The first physical command is often something like: Line up or march! Is he trying to control them? Yes, and also letting them know who’s in charge. Right?

Are there penalties for refusing an order? You betcha! God’s or the Army’s!

Are there benefits to obeying commands? Sure. When God made Adam did He curse him or bless him? Blessed all the way. Sin brought the curse so therefore, the blessing had to be restored. Are you waiting for your blessing to manifest? Because I have good news for you! Jesus took your curse. Galatians 3:13 ¹³ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 

You just have to believe and receive what the promise says, belongs to you. 

So what does Love have to do with it? - Everything. Think, ‘obey My commands and receive the blessing!’ Why not, it is paid for in full by the blood of Christ. What does God (your Father) want you to do? Love Him, obey His commandments, believe the promises of His blessings, and become a receiver of them. Love needs a receiver- namely, you and me. God is Love and promised to manifest or reveal Himself to you. Take the promise and meditate on it until it becomes real. Let God manifest it to you in His special way.

Matthew 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Remember, the seed is the Word of God. 

⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you

^23” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word -Word or Commandment, the Lord is the source!