Mensa Otabil - God's Word, Our Reward
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We’re still in Psalm 19, and we are in verse 11. Moreover, by them, your servant is warned, and in keeping them, there is great reward. Have you imagined what kind of life you would have and how your life would be if you truly lived by God’s word? The passage says that the word of God warns us, and the word of God is our reward. Do you think that obeying God will make your life boring, that there will be no fun, and that you would escape all the good things of this life? Sometimes people think if they obey God’s word and live by God’s word, they will become antisocial misfits in our world. Cherishing the word of God can make us feel that we are missing out and that we are a boring lot. I can excuse a person who doesn’t know Christ as Lord for thinking that way, but for anyone who knows Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives, living by God’s word does not make your life boring. Look at the joy you have from your salvation and your relationship with the Lord.
So when you read the Bible, you see accounts of people who lived some of the most amazing lives because they lived by the warnings of God’s word. There’s a story of a man called Noah who was warned of a coming flood, and he obeyed that warning. People took it for granted and had fun, while this man built a boat, and in the boat, he and his family were saved, along with all the animals that came with him. Can you imagine what it was for Noah to step out from that Ark and see the devastation, the global catastrophe that had happened on the earth, and to realize that he survived? It’s almost as if something wiped out everybody all over the Earth, and he survived simply because he obeyed God. Is that a boring life? I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty good life.
Or think of a young boy who goes to battle and sees a big giant, and everyone is afraid of the giant. He decides to take on this giant because he believes the word of God—that God will protect him. He goes out, defeats this giant, and brings massive victory to his whole nation. I don’t think that is a boring life; I think that’s an exciting life, knowing that obedience to God can pull down giants and give you tremendous victory. Or consider a widow who is about to die because she has no food and no source of sustenance with her son. She receives the word of God, believes it, and because she believes it, she is protected during a time of famine when even wealthier people cannot make it. She survives and has food to eat with her son throughout the famine. I don’t know about you, but that’s a very good life.
All of this happened because people took God at His word and trusted in it. So when we obey God’s word, the passage says that it warns us, and warnings are good. Can you imagine life without warnings? Electrical installations without warnings don’t tell us the voltage; you just touch it, and poof—you’re gone. Can we think of roads without any warnings or signs? Drivers are not warned; everybody just goes as they please without guidance. Our lives are exposed to constant danger, and that’s why God’s word is a warning to us, so that we can keep away from danger.
And God’s word is our reward. When we obey Him and submit to His word, our lives are rewarded like Noah’s, David’s, and the widow of Zarephath’s. May God reward you as you obey His word, and may His word give you victory in your battles in life. May the word of God protect you against the dangers that lurk in the darkness of life. I believe God’s word is your strength and your shield.
Let’s share a word of prayer together. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to see the warning signs from Your word. I receive the reward of obedience in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.» Well, I’ll be with you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.