November 22
Choose Life
"I 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; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20
One of the great blessings of being a Christian is that God gives us second chances. He knows we are not flawless. He knows we are not perfect. He knows our true nature and gives us the opportunity to put our sin behind us - even when we have failed miserably. God possesses the power to turn things around dramatically.
But when it comes to second chances, we have a choice in the matter. As we approach the subject of sin, we have two ways to address it. We can confess it, turn from it, and experience the joy of forgiveness. Or we can conceal our sin and know the misery of reaping the repercussions of our sins.
In the book of Deuteronomy, God posed a challenge to His people. He said, "I 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" (30:19). It's amazing that some of those people consciously chose death. And it's even more amazing that people today still choose death. You see, choosing death is essentially what we do when we choose to go against God and His Word.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28:13, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." You can't cover your sin. You can't run from it. There is only one way to get rid of your sin and obtain true life. It is at the cross of Jesus Christ. The choice is yours. Choose life.
Copyright (c) 2004 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.