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Obeying God is one of the greatest ways to show respect for him. God gave Israel commandments so that they "might fear the LORD." Fear here does not mean that God wants people to have the unpleasant emotion human beings feel in the face of danger. Fear here means respect. God gives his people his commandments so that they may know what he wants and respect him by obeying his commandments.
A child of God who wants to fear God will love his word. Only by knowing his word can he be obeyed the way he wants to be obeyed. People often dishonor God out of ignorance of his word and hence his will.

Obedience to God's word is not only a sign of respect but also a means to blessings. Long life is attached to obedience. A person who wants to live eternally must obey the word of God. Disobedience to God will lead to a very short life because even if the disobedient person lives two hundred years on earth (which is impossible), he or she will lose eternal life. In addition to a long life, the text also tells us that people who obey God will have well-being and receive all manner of blessings. Disobedience, then, is absolute folly given all the great things that come to the obedient.

The only way to obey God in a way that results in eternal blessings is to believe in his son, Jesus, who obeyed him perfectly. No human being can obey God perfectly. The only human being who obeyed him perfectly is Jesus, and gave us his obedience as explained by the apostle Paul in Romans 3.

Another way of thinking about it is that Jesus obeyed God perfectly and received all the blessings promised in this passage. He gives it to the people who believe in him. The only way to obtain these blessings is through a sincere faith in and a deep relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

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