Admittedly, life is made up of a series of choices. However, we need to know that while we have the right to pick our choice, we do not have the right to pick the consequence of our choice. The results, which may not be known immediately, will always follow the choice we make. It is therefore extremely important that we carefully evaluate any choice before us before we make the decision. It must also be said that our conduct and how we behave will usually follow the decision that we make.
The
most fundamental decision of life is whether we will follow God or not.
Following God and obeying His Word will result in a blessed life. Conversely,
the choice not to follow God will result in a flagrant disregard for
His Word leading to a cursed life. This is the message
of Deuteronomy 11:26-32. Like the Israelites, every one of us is
also presented with the same solemn choice. It is important for us to take note
of the message of verse 32. The issue for the Israelites was not just about a
one-time decision of obeying God and crossing the Jordan into the promised
land. It was also to be a lifelong decision of living and following God
henceforth. The same is for us today. Being a Christian is not just about
praying the conversion prayer but also a life of commitment in following the
Lord and living in obedience to His Word.
It
was not enough for the people of Israel to hear what God had said and only have
a mental picture. It was also needful for them to have something they could
physically see and recall God’s instructions. So in verses 29-30, they were
told to have a ceremony to rehearse what He had told them when they entered the
land. The two mountains chosen for the enactment were Mount Gerizim and Mount
Ebal. The former reminds them to live a life of obedience hence a blessed life,
and the latter a reminder that a life of disobedience would lead to a cursed
life.
As
it was critical for the Israelites to carefully evaluate the kind of life they
wanted, it is also critical for us to determine the kind of life we want. The
same two alternatives are ours today. A blessed life or a cursed life, a life
of obedience or a life of disobedience, being faithful to God or pandering to
worldliness and idolatry. One brings honor to God and the other insults and
disregards Him. One brings blessing and the other curses. The choice is ours
today - a life of liberty in Christ or a life dominated by sin and
bondage. As we follow the dictates of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus, we are set free from the law of sin and death. Hear what John Maxwell
has said, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.”
Since choices will determine our destiny, be sure to choose rightly
today!
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