Scripture:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ESV
[15] “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. [16] If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. [17] But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, [18] I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. [19] I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, [20] loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Observation:
Moses is getting ready to be gathered to his people and he is preparing the Israelites to move on without him. Laying the foundation that there is a choice to be made, and what they choose will determine how they live. They have been given a road map, and according to their willingness to follow it, the LORD will either bless them or curse them. A choice for life or a choice for death. They would show by their actions whether they loved GOD or not. If they choose to do right they will be blessed and if not then things will be hard. Living in the promised land came with responsibility. They would have to stay focused on GOD. Keep their heart lined up with HIM and not turn to other gods. If they did turn to other gods they would surely die. It was a choice. One that had to be made. GOD could not do this for them. However, at this point, HE had given them plenty of reasons to believe and follow. This was the one thing that they had to do CHOOSE.
Application:
Have you ever been forced to do something you really didn’t want to do? What were the results? Did things work out well for you? There is a reason GOD does not force us to love HIM or live according to HIS law. What would it really prove? Would we be doing it because we want to or because HE made us? Free will is something that can honestly confuse people if we think about it. Let me give you an example…if GOD is a GOD of love how could HE let that happen. Well, the answer is free will. Whoever did that had a choice and they made it and whatever happened was the result of that choice. Let me give you an example from my life. A short time ago I was stuck in addiction. My focus was not on GOD. It was on how am I going to get my next fix. My life was in ruin. I was homeless and feeding my addiction was my only concern. That was my choice. However, as the great theologian Robert Plant said…”yes there are two paths you can go by but in the long run there’s still time to change the road your on”. There was a point when GOD presented another choice and I took it. That choice changed my life. I was no longer a part of The Walking Dead. I went from choosing death and addiction and a seemingly lifeless existence, to wanting to do right and and live in a manner that brings GOD glory. I experience GOD’s blessings today. HE has given me a home and freedom from addiction. I still have a lot of work to do. However, the choice to love HIM is the best choice I ever made. HE gave me life.
Prayer:
Father, we don’t want to live that dead existence. The one that is running from you. You have put before us a choice…death or life…we choose life and we want that life to reflect you. We ask today that we hear the voice of the holy spirit and that it continue to guide us to more life in you I personally want to thank you for the freedom from addiction and pray that we see you deliver more and more people from that life. We know that it all comes down to choice. If we choose Jesus we choose to live. Thank you for your son. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.