A soldier once said to a famous man, "I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one 'Go' and he goes; and that one 'Come' and he comes. I say to my servant 'Do this' and he does it." ¹

So it is with the God of the Universe. He commands the stars in their courses², and, "who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the Lord or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust." ³

"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgement to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."⁴

Is his testimony valid? Is he able to do all he claims? "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. You have sent to John (the Baptist) and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice, nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."⁵

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned."⁹

If you do believe this, your next course of action is simple… Ask Jesus to forgive those things you have done wrong (God is everywhere and can hear you). Believe that he wants to and is able to forgive you of those things and of every other thing you may do or think wrong in the future. Because, "The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (from condemnation).¹¹

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself though Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them."¹²

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."¹³

"He or she who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.' Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your rampart."¹⁴

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in the barn, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"¹⁵

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!"¹⁶

The benefits of accepting, knowing, believing and obeying Jesus are endless! We haven't even mentioned heaven!

"Therefore… we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons (and daughters) of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry "Abba Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings, in order that we may also share in his glory."¹⁷

Therefore, we are Under Command.

List of References:
¹ Matthew 8:8-9
² Judges 5:20
³ Isaiah 40:12-15
⁴ John 5:19-24
⁵ John 5:31-40
⁶ Romans 6:23
⁷ Romans 5:6-8
⁸ Romans 3:23
⁹ John 3:17
¹⁰ John 11:25-26
¹¹ Romans 10:13
¹² 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
¹³ Romans 8:33-35.37-39
¹⁴ Psalm 91:1-4
¹⁵ Matthew 6:25-27
¹⁶ 1 John 3:1
¹⁷ Romans 8:12-17

God of the Universe:
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and the wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 'To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?' says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who crated all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and might strength, not one of them is missing. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and wary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, and walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:21-26, 28-31

Son:
"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; with out him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

"There came a man who was sent for God; his name was John (the Baptist). He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural decent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified concerning him. He cries out, saying, 'this was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'' From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given though Moses, and grace and truth came though Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:1-18)

"As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus, they spoke about his departure (from the earth), which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, 'Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three altars - one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was speaking, as cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, ' this is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.' When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. " (Luke 9:28-36)

Eternal Life:
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26)

Jesus said, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the work began." (John 17:3-5)

Condemned:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him. He will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on this right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in. I needed clothes, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you looked after me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me. "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, in to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in. I needed clothes, and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you did not look after me." "They will also answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.'"

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do, in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."

Sin:
An archery term, meaning to miss the "mark", the "bullseye." In other words, to miss the perfect (righteous) standard God has set for each of our lives.

"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understand, no one who seeks God." (Romans 3:10-11a)

"Every one who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he (Jesus) appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin." (1 John 3:4-5)

Christ:
The title of Messiah, or savior that the Jews expected to rescue them as prophesied. "The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah (that is the Christ)."

Lord:
Someone who possesses power or authority over people and deserves respect or praise, a master. "They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." (Revelation 17:14)

Heaven:
Let not your hear be troubled; believe I God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; For I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be also." (John 14:1-3)