Moses' final speech is drawing to a
close. He has stated the way that God wanted them to live, he has
warned them of the consequences if they fail to obey and he has
told them of the blessings that will come their way if they do. He
also told them that a Prophet like him will come to them later on
and will tell them everything that the Father tells Him to say
(Deuteronomy 18:15-19). This did indeed happen millennia later when
Jesus came.
And then Moses starts to end off
with a final call for commitment to God in Deuteronomy chapters 29
and 30. He urges them to remember God in all they do and if they do
they will prosper. He states that the choice between life and death
are in their hands.
"Today I have given you the
choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call
on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you
would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose
to love the Lord your God and to obey Him and commit yourself to
Him, for He is your life. Then you will live long in the land the
Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Deuteronomy 30:19, 20
And today the choice is pretty much
the same even thought we are under a new covenant. We also have the
choice between death and life in our lives. Even though our
covenant doesn't state obey and you will prosper, disobey and
you'll be cursed, we can experience life or death in our spiritual
lives through our actions. Jesus boldly proclaimed life to all who
believed in Him:
"I assure you, anyone who
believes in Me already has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of
Life!" John 6:47, 48
"It is the Spirit who gives
eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words
I have spoken to you are Spirit and life." John 6:63
In Jesus is true life. In Him we
are born again and this new person inside is filled with the life
and breath of God. This new life is eternal and will last for all
eternity to come. We are part of the Body of Christ and we must
move in His kindness and love towards all.
However we as Christians can also
choose to ignore the voice of the new life within us and rather
listen to the call of the world and all its lusts. If we do that,
we will experience a deadness within our souls, all because we are
inviting sin into our lives that leads to ultimate death. We should
never allow the voice of this world to crowd out the Voice of God
in our lives. We should focus our energies on all that He wants us
to do and not on what is expected of us by those that have no
regard for the will of God in our lives.
I urge you (and myself!) today, to
choose life and not death in our spiritual lives. We should
consciously make a decision to do everything that brings life to a
situation and to steer clear of everything that brings death. We
should all learn to listen to God's Voice within to bring life to
situations where death reigned, to bring healing where hurt were
supreme and to bring love where hate resided. Only then will we
begin to bubble over with new life and only then will His perpetual
spring become a reality in our lives.
Father, please help us to choose
life. Help us to choose Your ways above all. Help us in our
struggle against the voice of this world. Lord it is such a
persistent voice, nagging us every day. Please block out our ears,
that we hear only Your Voice. We want to follow Your life giving
ways, no matter what. In Jesus' Name. Amen