"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God ..."

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

"Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus ..." In a gospel song, these words of the refrain are sung over and over with each stanza. The chorus repeats the truth of our test: Obedience to God’s commands is the only way to get happiness (blessing). People in palaces are not automatically happy. The famous are often unhappy because they are lonely. Powerful people can get anything they want, but they cannot order happiness. The key to a blessed (happy) life is obedience to God.

But for many, the very word obedience is a dirty, nasty, and unpopular word. "Obey" was dropped from the marri…