Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I call Heaven and Earth to
witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing
and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love
God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh
yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your
God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Timothy’s
kindergarten class is learning about choices. His teacher has a color
system, with some colors equaling poor choices, while others indicate
excellent options. The ultimate color is blue...and as Timothy’s mother
described it, “I think you have to be close to perfect to get that
one!” One day last week, Timothy got “blue”! Of course, two days
later, he got “yellow” – which equals a warning. I asked him what
happened, and he said, “I was too loud.”
I love that these
children are learning to take responsibility for their choices at such
an early age – and in such a positive manner. They realize that a lot
of what happens to them is of their own doing...that they have options
that bring rewards – and some that result in consequences. They are
experiencing the glory of the “highs” and the accompanying returns...and
the disappointment of the lows – and their penalties.
Some of us
need to go back to kindergarten! If we ever learned about how much God
wants to shower us with His love and blessings – and the correlation
between these and our choices – many of us seem to have forgotten. Too
often, we see God as Someone who stands over us with a whip and a
chair...ready to strike us down for the smallest infraction. We have
such a distorted image of how God operates!
A lot of us fail to
see God as the loving, caring, healing Father that He is...Someone who
wants to give us only good things – but Who also wants us to have the
freedom to make our own choices. Therein lies the problem! I can
almost picture Timothy stomping his foot and furrowing his brow when he
got that "yellow” warning last week. He was probably so frustrated with
himself, because he doesn’t mean to be too loud – he just gets carried
away. Like all children, he often gets caught up in the moment, which
is why there is a “warning” color in between the really good ones and
those that signify a serious problem.
The GOOD NEWS for us is
that God offers us the warmth and safety of His loving arms...via the
blood of Jesus Christ for all of our sins. When we give our hearts to
Jesus, we know that “excellent choices” will bring us immeasurable
blessings from God. There may be a few “warning” colors mixed in...
every day will not be “blue” perfect! But we can dwell in the land of
the “good colors” and experience the healing balm of God’s love, grace,
mercy and forgiveness.
Just like the “color chart” in Timothy’s
kindergarten class represents choices – and associated results, God has
set options and outcomes before each of us. The next step is ours to
take. So how will you choose?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label choosing life in Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choosing life in Christ. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for September 10, 2013
Deuteronomy 30:19
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Almost two decades ago, a woman I knew took her own life. Her funeral was one of the most difficult experiences I’ve ever endured. No one could understand why this vibrant, beautiful grandmother took her own life. The pastor explained at the service that this was not truly the person we all knew and loved… that surely something must have gone terribly wrong in her mind and heart in order for her to choose to die. When I think of all she had to live for… grandchildren she has never seen, all kinds of opportunities that might have been in store for her…I have to believe that my pastor was exactly right. Had she been of sound mind, there is no way she would have ever chosen to die.
As hard as it is for us to comprehend taking our own life, this is essentially what many of us choose to do when we do not follow God. Those who believe that they don’t need God’s help have virtually pulled the trigger and committed to their own spiritual death. We are not superhuman. We do not have the capacity to make it on our own in this world. When we try, we often end up like my friend…overcome by the pressures, challenges and demons… and ugly things can result that can have a ripple effect for generations to come.
So many of us know that a relationship with the Holy Spirit is the answer, but we choose otherwise… human relationships, material accumulation, work, alcohol, drugs, money, gambling, and more. We stay “on the run” – continually seeking something that will satisfy, solve all of our problems and/or answer all of our questions. Timothy has a little Sesame Street book called I Can Do It Myself. That’s a pretty good mantra when you are a toddler… but even toddlers seem to have more sense about when to ask for help than the rest of us!
Don’t misunderstand me… I look forward to heaven… but only when GOD says it’s time for me to move there! Meanwhile, I know that I cannot navigate this earth successfully on my own. Furthermore, I know that the only way to spend eternity with God is to choose to serve Him now – here – in this lifetime. Not every day will be fun… there will be challenges, sorrows, heartaches and disappointments along the way. Choosing to follow God does not mean that life becomes instantly perfect! But even the worst day with Him is better than one day without.
So what do you say? How will you choose? Are you “holding the gun to your head, ready to pull the trigger”? Isn’t it time you “let go and let God” have control in your life? Are you ready to choose Eternal Life and truly live for the rest of your days?
©2013 Debbie Robus
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Almost two decades ago, a woman I knew took her own life. Her funeral was one of the most difficult experiences I’ve ever endured. No one could understand why this vibrant, beautiful grandmother took her own life. The pastor explained at the service that this was not truly the person we all knew and loved… that surely something must have gone terribly wrong in her mind and heart in order for her to choose to die. When I think of all she had to live for… grandchildren she has never seen, all kinds of opportunities that might have been in store for her…I have to believe that my pastor was exactly right. Had she been of sound mind, there is no way she would have ever chosen to die.
As hard as it is for us to comprehend taking our own life, this is essentially what many of us choose to do when we do not follow God. Those who believe that they don’t need God’s help have virtually pulled the trigger and committed to their own spiritual death. We are not superhuman. We do not have the capacity to make it on our own in this world. When we try, we often end up like my friend…overcome by the pressures, challenges and demons… and ugly things can result that can have a ripple effect for generations to come.
So many of us know that a relationship with the Holy Spirit is the answer, but we choose otherwise… human relationships, material accumulation, work, alcohol, drugs, money, gambling, and more. We stay “on the run” – continually seeking something that will satisfy, solve all of our problems and/or answer all of our questions. Timothy has a little Sesame Street book called I Can Do It Myself. That’s a pretty good mantra when you are a toddler… but even toddlers seem to have more sense about when to ask for help than the rest of us!
Don’t misunderstand me… I look forward to heaven… but only when GOD says it’s time for me to move there! Meanwhile, I know that I cannot navigate this earth successfully on my own. Furthermore, I know that the only way to spend eternity with God is to choose to serve Him now – here – in this lifetime. Not every day will be fun… there will be challenges, sorrows, heartaches and disappointments along the way. Choosing to follow God does not mean that life becomes instantly perfect! But even the worst day with Him is better than one day without.
So what do you say? How will you choose? Are you “holding the gun to your head, ready to pull the trigger”? Isn’t it time you “let go and let God” have control in your life? Are you ready to choose Eternal Life and truly live for the rest of your days?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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