Choosing Life
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; - Deuteronomy 30: 14-15
If you’ve ever lost your way, then you understand how frustrating and frightening it can be. As a young child, my siblings and I enjoyed the woods behind our home; we climbed trees, told scary stories, fought off venomous snakes and won every other imaginary battle a child could conjure. But as the sun began to fade, the crunch of the leaves under our feet and the coarse feel of the tree moss in our hands were lost to the thought of getting home late; our dad would be home from work soon, and we were supposed to be there, too. With the determination and strength of marathon runners, our little feet carried us across pine-filled acres until we realized that we had lost our way.
The children of Israel wondered in the wilderness for forty years because of their disobedience to the laws that God had set for them. They, too, fought battles (not the imaginary kind of my childhood), real battles between enemy countries, dangerous beasts, and hardships for just the bare necessities of food and water. They fought spiritual battles, also. The kind that divided them between following God’s command and His chosen leaders or their own way and the way they used to do things. Most made the wrong choice. What was supposed to be a short journey into the Promised Land filled with blessings turned into a needless wandering, and even death for some.
Today’s One-Step Challenge: Each day we have the same choice between God’s commands in the Bible and our own old way. This may be a no-brainer, but when given the opportunity to choose between right and wrong, choose right. Choose God. It seems simple enough but can be hard to do (we all know our weaknesses). When we are spending time with the Lord, He will be our conscience and will guide us in our decision-making. Choosing God and life is the single most important step to having an inclined (stretched out) heart towards Him.
