The Blessings of His Commandments

Prayer-Soldier

The Blessings of His Commandments

Scripture:

If you will keep the commandments and perform acceptable fidelity for ever, they shall preserve you. He has set water and fire before you: stretch forth your hand to which you will. Before man is life and death, good and evil, that which he shall choose shall be given him: For the wisdom of God is great, and he is strong in power, seeing all men without ceasing. The eyes of the Lord are towards them that fear him, and he knows all the work of man. He has commanded no man to do wickedly, and he has given no man license to sin. (Ben Sira 15:16-21 [Sirach 15:15-20])

How be it we speak wisdom among the perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, neither of the princes of this world that come to naught? But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, a wisdom which is hidden, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew. For if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written: That eye has not seen, nor ear heard: neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for them that love him. But to us God has revealed them by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:6-10)

Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, that unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that it was said to them of old: You shall not kill. And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore you offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has anything against you; leave there your offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to your brother, and then coming you shall offer your gift. Be at agreement with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Amen I say to you, you shall not go out from thence till you repay the last farthing.

You have heard that it was said to them of old: You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And if your right eye scandalize you, pluck it out and cast it from you. For it is expedient for you that one of your members should perish, rather than your whole body be cast into hell. And if your right hand scandalize you, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is expedient for you that one of your members should perish, rather than that your whole body go into hell.

And it has been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, unless the marriage is unlawful, makes her to commit adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, commits adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to them of old, you shall not forswear yourself: but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord. But I say to you not to swear at all, neither by heaven for it is the throne of God: Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king: Neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil. (Matthew 5:17-37)

Reflection:

His commandments are few, yet, keeping them continues to be such a struggle for the children of His creation. The question we should ask is, what blinds us that we do not see the blessings of the love of which He commands of us? He told us that to love Him and one another are upon what all prophecy and all the law depends. What, then, blinds us to the blessings of love? What, then, seduces us away from our worship of Him and care for one another? Blessed are those who seek to keep His commandments, for the love they give, they shall also receive.

It is the arrogance of some which leads them to believe they have wisdom beyond His; that they understand His creation and all which is in it. There are many who deceive themselves as to the expanse of their knowledge and draw conclusions from what they are able to observe and assess, but there is so much which is unseen and beyond their physical awareness. That which is of God is well beyond our comprehension, but there is so much He has sought for the children of His creation to learn. Through prayer, we may come to know Him. Through prayer we may reach out to Him. Through prayer, He will speak to our heart and reveal the truths which may only be found through Him. Those who turn from Him, turn also from the expanse of His wisdom.

And what of those who use His commandments from which to judge those about them? He told us not to judge, lest we be judged. It is not ours to accept sin or enable sin, but neither is it for us to use His Word as justification for standing in judgmental superiority, oppression or hate. If what we do is not in love, nor follows the wisdom of love; then, we do not follow the intent of His Word.

No one can stand and say: We love Him, but hate the children of His creation. The wisdom of His love is that it is not extended only to those with whom we agree, but to a greater challenge, it is extended to those with whom we disagree. Though we may act to protect those we love from harm, we must also recognize when we have the power to leave the gauntlet on the ground. And if we are forced to pick up the challenge to defend the innocent from harm and evil, we must still act with forgiveness, compassion and understanding that our opponents act under the deception of the dark one, for if their heart was not blinded, they would recoil in horror from the evil which deceives and enslaves their soul. If our adversaries do not subscribe to His Word, we should not extend the hand of hate, rather we must seek to live as examples of the blessing of His love in the hope the lost shall see His light through us.

Is this not the example which was set for us by the One sent to save all souls? He came to call to account those who preached the law, but did not understand the core of the commandments to love. He came to turn the heart of the sinner. He came to teach the power of love. He came to help the children of His creation understand that what is done outside of His commandments only leads to pain and emptiness. If we understand and commit to live by the greatest of His commandments, all of the blessings of His Word shall follow.

Many are seduced by the evil one to place themselves in superiority and judgment. Many are seduced to justify their sin, but expect to hold others to account. Instead, we should first pray we are given the strength to be an example of His Word. If we allow Him to guide our heart, we will learn how to approach others in love, even those who seek to persecute us. If we truly understand, we will ask in prayer for wisdom as to how we may encourage others so that they may see through us the blessings of His love.

If we ask Him in prayer, He will remove what drives our anger and pain. If we ask Him in prayer, He will remove what drives us to hate. If we ask Him in prayer, He will guide us, even through what we perceive to be hopeless. In brief moments, we may not understand His plan, but if we watch with care, we will see how He works in our lives. The more we turn ourselves over to Him, the stronger our heart becomes. The more we turn ourselves over to Him, we will see our cares within this world matter not, rather, He will prepare us for the eternal blessings of His kingdom.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier