Deut. 30:19-20
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
"Choose life." Sometimes it's hard to manage well our responsibility to choose. Our culture has taught us that the more choices available the better. We have been weaned on the principle of variety and options. I think it has probably hurt us more than helped as we can become so adept at defending the availability of choice that we forget how to actually choose.
When I read this passage from God's wisdom, I am reminded that sometimes the really important things in life come down to just a couple simple things. In this case, God tells us that we have been given the mandate to choose Him (which leads to life) or choose anything else (which of course leads to everything that steals life).
The thought I am wrestling with today revolves around the question of "what does this mean--to choose life? What is this life that is talked about?
I know that as the story of human history unfolds in the pages of the Bible, that life can mean eternal life with Jesus when our current lives end. This cannot be overestimated in importance, however, we also need to remember that God sees fit for us to understand that life, the idea of choosing to obey Him and receive the blessings that flow from His hand, is something that we called to step into now. This life we are currently living is a time and place where He wants to see His kingdom come.
Just think of it. . . .listen to some of the things that God promises to us when we choose life in Him: (chapter 28 of Deut.) He will defeat enemies; He will bless "everything you put your hand to"; He will bless your work so that it will produce for you; He will make you holy; He will bring prosperity---and bless your family; the "storehouse of His bounty" will be given to you, and on and on.
Now I know its tempting to see God as "Santa" where we honor Him in order to receive blessings only. Certainly this is not the right motivation for us. But we also need to remember that He is a God who actually likes to bless His children! What He is really after is our love. Just think about your kids or friends; when they show genuine love toward you don't you just want to bless them? I know I do, and that's kind of what it's like with us and God---when we choose life, when we choose to have our lives be directed toward Him in obedience and commitment, we grow in love and His heart overflows with a desire to bless His kids.
Yes we have been given choices in this life and those choices are sometimes pretty simple. God says to us that we have been given a choice to honor and serve Him or not and when we do He is willing and able to bring His kingdom and let its light shine brightly in our lives now.
I guess an important question for us is the same question the Israelites had to answer: what will you choose?
(To those who receive this blog: I want to encourage you to make comments on these thoughts so that we can enter into a conversation together. Your questions or comments will greatly enrich the depth of what is presented here. Thanks my friends.)
BT
Hey, my friend. Looking forward to joining with you in these conversations!
ReplyDeleteI like that this idea of choosing life is so much more than simply making a mental decision and then moving on to something else. I think that the choosing of life involves both thought and action. When I think of the call made to the Israelites, "Choose you this day whom you will serve" They are being called to an attitudinal shift: a choice which will orient them on a trajectory towards life in God.
The other thought that comes to mind has to do with marriage. That the choice I made on my wedding day was not a one-time thing: it's a choice I continue to make daily--moment by moment--to love my wife.
Do you feel that because our culture presents so many seemingly "empty" choices on a day to day basis that it can be harder for us to make choices that matter for eternity?
Hello fellow choice makers! This is Kurt btw. I'm excited also to dialogue and journey together in these questions of choice, choosing God and his path of righteousness and learning more about what it means to make choices that lead to life in general.
ReplyDeleteChoices, choices... This simple and unassuming phrase makes some people happy and excited; causes others to wonder, and invokes many to cringe in pain fear or regret at the idea of having to choose.
For one person, choosing is an ordinary quotidian decision-making process that is relatively simple and easy to do. For another, they are neither afraid nor happy to make a choice towards a better life, they may simply not be sure about what choices will lead them on the right path or even how to come to a proper conclusion of making a concrete decision. Other dear people loathe even the thought of having to make any type of important choice for themselves, since they know all-too-well the repercussions and effects that come with bad choice making and suffering because of ignorance or improper judgement.
In this particular expression of statement and question, I am advocating for the voice of the people who have difficult questions to ask and even more difficult choices to make. I am writing principally in the perspective of those searching to find answers as to why good, "Godly" choices can still break and bruise the innocent chooser.
I understand that God is the Lord of all and master of the universe. Who, by choice, has designed humans with the freedom to choose, direct the power of the intellect and harness the ability to directly involve others in the effects of their choices, whether good or bad. This, in brief, is community and more generally, society. We as a reflective and historically ingrained global society know all too well about the heartache and regret that come from evil or foolish choices of our past leaders. We also have rejoiced in the successes of great men and women of the past, that far outmatch the evil people, who dared to choose to make a difference.
...cont
Around nearly every bend of choices we make day to day, we reap the benefits of the choices of others who have made life easier and more enjoyable in everything from ingenious culinary delights to marvels of technology and medical care that have saved the lives of millions.
ReplyDeleteYet, and yet... Humans are still shadowed by the fear of important decisions because so many factors of influence come into play when making a possible life-changing choice. Some singular choices of a man or woman have been the make-or-break point for their descendants. Some of whom live with the legendary legacy of either a glorified family-line of respected "good citizens" or live under the crushing invisible burden of being known as children of the 'town drunk', or the family that can never stay together.
The jovial glow of the contented and successful or the fracture lines of pain and defeat are often written on the faces of those we meet and journey with day-to-day; Christian and Pagan; Muslim and New Age; our neighbours, cashiers, teachers, doctors and gas attendants, we are all connected by one thing in specific here... living with the effects of choices; some, ours and others having been made years before our conception.
So why choose? “What’s in it for me?” Why bother? Why deal with the unknown outcome of a possible disastrous mistake because of a stupid choice?
"Why do I have to choose for myself? Why am I held accountable for my own actions when I don’t have a clue as how to make a right choice? Why do I often suffer at the hands of others when I try to make "the right choices" yet still wake up in the gutter, alone, broken and abused?"... And the heart-wrenching deluge of questions continues to unravel; but to what end?
These questions are the heart's cry of billions of people who struggle to choose well in the midst of a cacophony of religious persuasion, anchor-less opinions and influential media voices. Making choices can be narrowed-down to a simple, universal definition of understood outcomes often referred-to as ‘Karma’ or, much earlier by the words of Jesus Christ, which is, “do good and good will return to you; do evil, and evil will be returned to you.” I quote this in general terms, understanding that some choose evil and aspire to a positive outcome, yet in the end, they are usually met with the equilibrated amount of good or evil, generally.
With this in mind, I struggle to make a simple statement of choose right, choose God, choose life and it will go well with you; as these are the words of the Word of God, yes, ‘in the end’ once the dust has settled, it will go good for you, but what about the now? What about the issue of living with the consequences, good or bad, regardless of our good choices or not.
That is the question here. A bit later I’ll mention the sustaining power of the all mighty God to rescue protect and restore all who call on his name; i.e. King David, Job, Paul and John the apostle, to name a few. But first, it is important to explore the world of questions and choices of the bi-Polar sufferer, the chronically ill and clinically depressed ‘house mom’ of four kids, the derelict of society, the “ghetto babies”, the FAS kids, the orphan and vulnerable children in group homes, the pregnant, prostitute, crack junkie living to pay for her fix because of a toxic chemical/physiological addiction, the single mother living on social assistance, the poor widow, the abandoned mentally ill street wanderer…Need I mention more?
*I will resume part two of my introductory contribution to this discussion in a short while. Thank you for your thoughts, heartfelt comments and curiosity to follow the path of righteousness towards better choice making.
Cheers, many thanks and many blessings upon you,
Kurt
I responded the same day this was written, but it wouldnt let me publish the comment for some reason.
ReplyDelete