<\/p>\n
\u201cI call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live\u201d (Deuteronomy 30:19).<\/p>\n
WE HAVE A CHOICE WHETHER TO LIVE IN GOD OR TO DIE APART FROM HIM, AND AS LONG AS OUR EARTHLY SOJOURN CONTINUES HE IS ALWAYS URGING US TO CHOOSE LIFE. \u201cLife and death\u201d and \u201cblessing and cursing\u201d are set before us. Therefore, God says, \u201cChoose life.\u201d And we are encouraged to do this not only for our own sakes but also for the sake of our descendants.<\/p>\n
Life and death are not fates that are forced upon us; we have the freedom to choose between them. In giving us our freedom, God apparently desired beings who could respond voluntarily to His love. There would be no significance to our love for Him if we were merely programmed to behave lovingly. So rather than compel us, God invites us. He calls upon us to choose<\/em> life. And the life that can be chosen is a far finer thing than any force of nature.<\/p>\n But as important as the word choose<\/em> is, the word life<\/em> is even more important. The thing that we can choose to have in God is not merely a period of service but an eternity of life.<\/em> What God wants for us is our highest good. Speaking of Himself, Jesus said, \u201cGod did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved\u201d (John 3:17). And He told His disciples, \u201cI have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly\u201d (John 10:10).<\/p>\n Although there is some difficulty in choosing the life God offers, it is no difficulty at all compared to that which is encountered on the path to death. And choosing life over death is also easier than living in the limbo that results from not deciding. The person who won\u2019t make a choice or take a stand is going to get the most difficult of all lives. Nothing is more exhausting than procrastination, and nothing is more destructive than indecision. So when the God who created us calls upon us to \u201cchoose life,\u201d it\u2019s time to determine our course. \u201cGod has no need of marionettes. He pays men the compliment of allowing them to live without him if they choose. But if they live without him in this life, they must also live without him in the next\u201d (Leon Morris).<\/p>\n \u201cBe entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess\u201d (Heinrich Heine).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n