Have you ever thought about this? Our life circumstances right now are the direct result of decisions – large and small – we have made in our lives.
We decided whether to study or watch TV, whether to go into debt or wait until we had the cash, whether to use drugs and alcohol or stay clean, whether to go to church or stay home. We decided whether to eat healthy food or junk food, whether to exercise or just sit on the couch, whether to have sex before marriage or save ourselves for our future spouse. We make political decisions, financial decisions, family decisions, work decisions, time decisions, spiritual decisions.
Every day we make decisions. Some seem inconsequential. But each decision is important.
God gave us some guidance when He spoke to His people through Moses, as recorded in Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV): “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.”
The Lord must have thought we needed some help. After giving the choice, He gave the answer: choose life!
We have that choice every moment of every day. Most people don’t even realize it, but those decisions either lead to life and blessing, or to death and cursing.
Jesus said this as recorded in John 6:63 (NKJV):“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.”
Solomon, inspired by the Holy Spirit, put it this way in Proverbs 4:20: “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”
When we think we can ignore the instructions – the commandments – the Lord gave us in the Bible, we choose death and cursing. When we think we’re so self-sufficient and smart, and don’t need any help from God, we choose death and cursing.
When we are humble enough to acknowledge that God is smarter than we are, and to do things His way instead of our own way, we choose life and blessing. When we acknowledge that even in the seemingly smallest decisions we need His direction, we choose life and blessing.
We can and should seek the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness, but can’t change the decisions we’ve already made. We can, though, change the way we make decisions in the future. The decisions we make will determine where we end up – in life or in death, in blessing or in cursing. He gave us a big hint: Choose life!