A word grabbed me the other day as I was scrolling through my email. Just one word – Choose! I am not sure what the email wanted me to choose, but the word itself got my attention.
I opened my Bible concordance to my “new” favorite translation (HCSB) and checked out “choose(s).” I found 67 occurrences. I thought it interesting that the first 25 references talked about God doing the “choosing.” It was not until the 26th that men and women were commanded to make a choice. And what a choice it is!
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. For He is your life.” [Deuteronomy 30:19-20a HCSB]
God calls on the Israelites to “choose life.” When they do that, God becomes their life. That choice gives them the ability to love the LORD, obey Him and remain faithful to Him. Even more, that choosing life seems to “influence” the choices their descendants make.
God gives us a choice. He presents life and death before us. While He desires all to come to repentance and salvation and is delaying His judgment to give people further opportunities to repent (1 Peter 3:9), He knows not all will make the good choice. It is undeniable that many will perish (Matthew 7:13-14).
God gave Adam and Eve a choice … and they chose wrong, and sin entered the world. God gave His Son a choice … to be betrayed, brutally tortured, and murdered … and He chose to do His Father’s will, and salvation entered came to us.
God gives us a choice … life or death. It is up to us to choose wisely.
