June 11, 2014 Choices
Wednesday June 11, 2014
The choices we make affect our own life and the lives of our loved ones. When we are not caring for ourselves, our loved ones or those around us, then we are in rebellion against God. We may not be aware that our actions reflect this as God may not be on our horizon. However, if we are not loving God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves, then we are choosing to disobey God. Through Moses, God presents us with a choice:
Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster … love the Lord your God and keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you … But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. (Deuteronomy 30:15-18a NLT)
To a sensible person these would seem like easy choices – prosperity over disaster; life over death; blessings over curses. Unfortunately, many of us choose to follow our own ways and desires and suffer the harmful consequences. Why? Because we don’t want to give up our sinful pleasures and we want to maintain control. Many of our sinful practices are destructive and yet we choose to cling to them because we enjoy them. Sin can be very pleasurable for a time. Getting our own way seems like the most convenient and pleasant path for a time. That’s why we choose it. God, through the death of His beloved son, has shown us the cost of our sinful choices. Jesus died a cruel death on a cross to pay the price for our sin. God desires us to come to Him and choose to accept His forgiveness. He is pursuing us with His love. His grace will fulfill our deepest longings. As we become doers of His word, our hearts will be filled with His peace and we will lack no good thing. 
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10 NLT)
When we do things God's way we have the promise that love and joy and peace and goodness, etc. will all follow us. However, if we return to our former way of life we are no longer ambassadors of the Kingdom of God but citizens of this earth, without hope and without God.
Today, are you willing to make the choice for God and follow His ways?
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