Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.
16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them,
18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
While editing our father, Gerrit’s, last teachings one morning this week, I heard him share something that got me thinking. He was sharing about a time when he thought he had lost everything and how the Father challenged him to do something. It was not a giant step of faith but simply a small act of humility and obedience. In doing it in an instant his situation changed and his life moved again to a path of restoration. I have heard this story many times before but this time it really spoke to my heart.
The question came into my heart. Do you have the courage to take the first step of obedience and faith?
I thought of the children of God trapped In Egypt in bondage. When they heard the word of God to leave Egypt they faced a choice of whether to take the first steps of obedience out of bondage to freedom.
This struck so close to home. So many times I find myself in a situation that leaves me at a cross road. I am then faced with a choice which only I can make.
Will I choose life or death/ faith or fear/ self righteousness or humility / forgiveness or unforgiveness and finally love or hate.
If I am really honest with myself I will admit that a lot of the fights or really bad situations and relationships in my life is because of bad choices that I have made. Sometimes it feels like I am standing outside of myself looking at how I am making the wrong choice.
In my heart I know that if I would choose differently the whole situation would change/ the fight would be defused and victory would be found.
But still I watch myself choosing death over life/ anger over love/ unforgiveness over forgiveness and fear over faith. As if I have no choice.
And there it is! The biggest lie ever! The one that keeps us, God’s prime creation, in bondage.
The truth – I do have a choice, every minute of every day I have a choice.
We were created in the image of God to rule and to reign not to surrender.
And yes it is not easy there is no short cuts. It is a choice that we need to make over and over again. If my father, Gerrit, hadn’t obeyed or if the children of God had chosen to stay, how differently things would have been.
But they made the right choice which led towards freedom and victory.
I can only pray that I will see myself as His child everyday and remember that I can choose to live and obey.
