The crucial choice before us is nothing new at all. Many over the centuries have made the choice/the commitment to follow God and obey His commands.
Let me warn that our disobedience has consequences. Nearly 3,500 years ago, Moses presented to the Israelites who would be allowed to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land these words found in Deuteronomy 30:15-16:
“See, I set before you life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.”
These words were quite direct and proved true as God’s chosen people entered this land of milk and honey.
Sadly, after the deaths of Joshua and Caleb, the new generations failed to follow in the footsteps of those who gladly obeyed the ways of the Lord.
Over the next 400-plus years, the Book of Judges chronicles the flip-flop obedience then subsequent disobedience of the Israelites.
These days, we need to make a crucial choice to depart from our wicked ways and once again return to God.
Let’s look at this natural tendency to depart from the Way, the Truth and the Life Jesus prophetically petitions us to live and follow for our benefit and His pleasure.
As followers of Christ, we are called to live our lives in this faithful fashion. We must put our Lord first and others before our own needs and desires.
In Luke 10 we read about an expert in the law confronting Jesus asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus responded “What is written in the law?” and then “How do you read it?”
In verse 27, this man responds, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,” and he continues … “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In verse 28, Jesus responds, “You have answered correctly … Do this and you will live.”
Let’s stop there and reflect on the legal expert’s response. This is the choice we must make — to love God most and love others as we love ourselves.
There’s one problem: We cannot do this on our own. We need the help of the Holy Spirit.
Our sin nature provokes us to watch out for our selfish aspirations rather than becoming selfless and allowing God to rightly sit on His throne!
Let’s return to our discussion of that crucial choice we must all make once and for all during the short time we’re on this planet.
Life and prosperity, death and destruction have been set before us. The foolish will settle for a worldly existence that will surely end in destruction. The wise will choose life and prosperity, which will continue in Eternity with our Savior and Lord.