"If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea." (Isaiah 48:18)
If a parent tells their child not to put their hand on the hot stove, are they just trying to spoil their fun? If they tell them not to put their finger in the socket, are they just being rigid and intolerant? Then why is God accused of those things when He tells us not to do things which are just as harmful, if not worse? The answer is that He isn't. God created laws to protect us and to keep us safe. Like a parent who doesn't want to their kid to get their hand burned off or to get electrocuted, God doesn't want us to destroy our lives through immoral sexual behavior, alcohol addiction, and other deadly habits. The world claims that breaking God's rules is cool and thrilling. Yeah, I'll beat that playing Russian Roulette is cool and thrilling, too, until you blow your own head off! The fact is that sex within marriage and having lots of kids is a lot more fun than you think. On top of that, there's the added bonus that you don't have your heart ripped out of your chest every time that you break up with whatever hot babe or total stud muffin that you sleep with. Likewise, being a respectful, trustworthy, and diligent worker will make your career a lot easier. You don't need the headaches of the back-stabbing crooks who have to worry about vengeful coworkers and all sorts of legal mayhem throughout their lives. Being obedient will not necessary prevent you from calamity, but it will make sure that when it does happen, that it won't be your fault. Not to mention the fact that God honors those who are faithful to Him. Just ask Joseph or Daniel.
Now, there is one caveat that I want to make clear. Obeying God's laws will not get you into heaven. Only a relationship with Christ will do that. That being said, obeying God's laws after you become saved will not only allow you to develop your relationship with Him even further, but it will also allow you to attract other people to Jesus so that they can be saved from an eternity in hell, too. Not to mention that doing so is an opportunity to show Him just how grateful you are that He saved you to begin with.
"If you love me, keep my commands." (John 14:15)
Jesus Christ showed you how much He loved you by suffocating to death on a cross. Isn't it time that you show Him how much you love Him back?
