Jeremiah 7.23 describes, however, I did give them this command: Obey Me, and then I will be your God, and you will be My people. Follow every way I command you so that it may go well with you.

For the most part we prefer religion over obedience. Religion is easier. Religion keeps us in charge of determining if we are pleasing to God or not. Religion requires the least amount of effort and sacrifice. Religion gives power to a small group of people. Religion keeps things at the surface level rather than at the motive level. The One True God is not interested in our religion per se.

The One True God is interested in our obedience to Him. If we were God would we be any different? When we become angry with those who don’t comply with our wishes we act as though we are god. We are so easily angered because we are so often ‘disobeyed’ by everyone around us. Even when they don’t know it, (think of that driver in front of you)!

The One True God gives us the Scriptures so that we can know Him and know what He requires from us. As God, He expects obedience to His commands, nothing more and nothing less. We can easily measure our life’s performance by those commands to know if we are pleasing God truly or not.

We prefer though the activity of religion and the presumption that we are pleasing God because we are fulfilling our religion, all the while, we are ignoring the Scriptures that record what God truly requires from us. We are fools. God’s commands fortunately are not burdensome but they do require that He is our first love, our greatest love, our most important love.

We know this is true of us if we obey His commands