Sunday, February 16, 2014

Choose Life


Choose Life
courtesy free clip art
 
I took notes as Pastor Jerry was reading from Deuteronomy 30:14-20 and began his sermon.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Two options were being put forth, life and death. God gave the simple answer; choose Life.  The consensus was; Serve God and be blessed, turn away from God and be cursed.

Moses put up with grumbling from the children of Israel, and was angry about their fickle turning to worship golden calves instead of the true God. 

Moses reminded the people to consider how blessed they were when serving God, and the commandments were not too difficult to obey.  They needed to face their past failures and sin, repent and renew their commitment to serve God and Him only.

In simple terms God created the heavens, the earth and all that there is with physical and spiritual laws.  When we break those laws there are consequences. 

For instance the law of gravity, if we jump out of a plane minus a parachute, death is the result. 

The laws of morality, health, taking care of our body, when broken bring a penalty.  Obey and live, disobey and suffer. 

Things are not always cut and dry and there are private choices.  A few choices would be to attend college, marry, divorce, live immorally, terminate a pregnancy, abuse the body with drugs and drink and accept the results. 
 
We may regret some choices in life, and are sorry people were hurt. 

Corporate Choices are found in the church, the city, business, the Government, and these decisions either bringing peace, or pain.

Choices of Greed, to illustrate: the destruction of the rain forests, wasting of water cause the entire world to suffer.  There is so much wrong in the world the result of erroneous choices.

Jesus was concerned about RIGHT.  He taught to do the right thing.  Our very actions and comments have consequences. 

Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou may do it.

It is not God’s faithfulness that is in question.  The fact is, will the people keep their part of the bargain, and not try to edit the covenant?

Meanwhile God is calling us to choose LIFE, because He wants to bless us.

The ball is in our Court; Let us pick it up!

 

3 comments:

Floyd said...

"Edit the covenant." That's awesome! That's exactly what we try to do. We bend the promise and then justify it as if we were lawyers or Pharisees... Great post!

TC Avey said...

AMEN!

Just today I was reading in Ezra. God helped me see how others sins (especially those in the church) should break my heart. Ezra's heart was broken by the Israelite's sin. But he didn't point fingers, he helped them turn back to God. God is faithful to keep His covenant with us, but are we dedicated to keeping our covenant with Him?

As you said, it's a daily choice we make. Do we choose God's ways or our own?

Betty Jo said...

"Edit the covenant" stood out to me like it did Floyd. Gosh I'm so guilty of doing that in certain circumstances. I want His Way; life!!