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Deuteronomy 30:15-19 - We Have a Choice: Life or Death.

Deuteronomy 30:15-19 - We Have a Choice: Life or Death.

Deuteronomy 30:15, 19, 20 (NCV) Look, today I offer you life and 
success, death and destruction. Today I ask heaven and earth to be 
witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, 
choose life! Then you and your children may live. To choose life is to 
love the LORD your God, obey him, and stay close to him. He is your 
life, and he will let you live many years in the land, the land he 
promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

Deuteronomy 30:15, 19, 20 (TLB) "Look, today I have set before 
you life and death, depending on whether you obey or disobey. "I 
call heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set 
before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose 
life; that you and your children might live! Choose to love the Lord 
your God and to obey him and to cling to him, for he is your life and 
the length of your days. You will then be able to live safely in the 
land the Lord promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 

The most significant choice any human being can make is the 
choice between life and death; between loving and serving God, and 
ignoring Him. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

The possibilities of life for every man are ultimately reduced 
to two. One is to love God with all one's powers. The end result is 
life in all its fullness, ultimately merging into immortality. The 
alternative is a disregard of God's good pleasure, with one's life devoted 
to the things of this earth. A life spent persistently in such a 
way leads to eternal death. These alternatives challenge every man 
and woman born into the world. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

Everyone has a life-or-death decision to make.  We have been 
created with the supreme privilege of free will, the ability to choose.  
Even when we are in the bondage of our addiction, we still have 
choices confronting us.  When we are in recovery, we face the nagging 
lure of choosing to fall back into our addiction.  The freedom to 
choose brings with it the burden of the results of our choices.  And 
these choices affect our life and the lives of our children.  Free 
will is our blessing and our responsibility!  [Life Recovery SB] 

Moses challenged Israel to choose life, to obey God, and 
therefore continue to experience his blessings. God doesn't force his will 
on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow him or reject him. 
This decision, however, is a life-or-death matter. God wants us to 
realize this, for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each 
new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment. [Life 
Application SB] 

God has called us to keep his commands, while reminding us that 
his laws are not hidden from us or beyond our reach. Have you ever 
said you would obey God if you knew what he wanted? Have you ever 
complained that obedience is too difficult for a mere human? These are 
unacceptable excuses. God's laws are written in the Bible and are clearly 
evident in the world around us. Obeying them is reasonable, sensible, 
and beneficial. The most difficult part of obeying God's laws is 
simply deciding to start now. [Life Application SB] 

   Christians have been saved from the ultimate effect of sin - 
eternal separation from God. However, sin still presents problems that 
must be addressed. It can separate you from the blessings God has for 
you, and, worse, it can disrupt your fellowship with God Himself. 
Moses here reminded this new generation of Israelites that, even 
though their parents had turned their backs on God, they could have a 
fresh start. God would bless them if they would turn from sin and 
choose to obey him.  
   Just as he did for the Hebrew nation, God sets before you the 
choices each day of obedience or disobedience. And he challenges you to 
turn away from sin and to obey.  
   Your obedience will be imperfect. You will make wrong 
choices. You will sin. But God is merciful. He wants to forgive you and 
bring you back into fellowship with Himself. Always come to God and 
ask for his forgiveness. He promises to give it. Then seek to learn 
a lesson from your sin and move on. Determine that next time you 
will choose to obey instead. [The One Year Bible for New Believers re 
Deu. 30:19] 

   Picture this: You're driving along at fifty miles per hour on 
a cloudy day. The road ahead is suddenly narrow, with deep, 
unforgiving ditches on both sides. But the two endless lines of fluorescent 
orange cones that line the road on either side keep you out of trouble. 
 
   If you think of the curses in this reading as fluorescent 
orange cones, you come pretty close to their meaning. If you understand 
that those cones are really doing you a favor, you can't help but be 
happy about them. The cones help everyone. The other chapters in this 
section of Deuteronomy are proof enough of that.  
   There are other road signs in today's reading: something to 
remember when it looks as if the world is falling apart; seeking God with 
all your heart, soul, and strength; and following a plan of action 
no matter how badly you've sinned.  
   Read Deuteronomy 27 - 30. 
   The curses God wanted his people to remember were a series of 
oaths, spoken by the priests and affirmed by those listening, in which 
the people promised to stay away from wrong actions (Deuteronomy 27: 
15-26). Those saying Amen "So be it," were taking responsibility for 
their actions.  
   Sometimes looking at a list of curses like this gives us the 
idea that God has a bad temper and is out to crush anyone who steps 
out of line. But we need to see these restrictions not as threats 
but as loving warnings about the plain facts of life. Wrongdoing 
toward others or God has tragic consequences, and God is merciful 
enough to tell us this truth plainly. His strong words help us avoid 
the serious consequences that result from neglecting God or wronging 
others. Just as we warn children to stay away from hot stoves and busy 
streets, God warns us to stay away from dangerous actions. [The One Year 
Through the Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman re Deu. 27 - 30] 

   Perhaps the best analogy to the commitment God asks us to 
make to Him is the wedding ceremony. The wedding comes as the 
culmination of months (or better, years) of gradually coming to know another 
person. In time friendship blossoms into love, or initial attraction 
deepens into appreciation. Then each person realizes, "I want to spend 
my life with this individual!" Then the two plan a wedding--a 
ceremony to announce to one and all that two people have decided to 
cleave only to each other, for better or for worse, in sickness and in 
health, till death do them part. 
   Yet it's fascinating. That ceremony, the culmination of so 
many young women's dreams, isn't an end but a beginning. It is the 
beginning of a lifetime of acting on the decision that the ceremony 
marked. It is the start of a lifetime of making choices shaped by the 
fact that at a particular point in time, two people stood side by 
side and committed themselves to one another. For then. And forever. 
   It's just this kind of ceremony that is in view in 
Deuteronomy 30. Moses calls on the new generation to make a life-shaping 
decision. Moses calls on Israel to make a commitment to God, to choose 
life with Him, and then to carry out that commitment the rest of 
their lives. 
   As Moses says, the life this commitment calls for "is not too 
difficult for you or beyond your reach." That life is spelled out in the 
word God has given us, a near word, in our mouths and in our hearts. 
Make and keep this commitment, Moses promised, and "you will live and 
increase, and the Lord your God will bless you." Hold back or turn away, 
and "you will certainly be destroyed." 
   We Christians need to realize that our initial relationship 
with Jesus is intended to grow and deepen to the point at which we 
too realize, "I want to commit my life to this Person who loves me." 
That realization may come in church, in response to a pastor's call. 
It may happen in the privacy of your own room, reading devotional 
literature like this book. When the realization does come, then you too 
have a decision to make. Will I commit myself fully to God, realizing 
that this decision will shape my choices for the rest of my life? 
   Perhaps Moses himself gives us the most compelling reason to 
make that commitment now. "This day," he says, "I call heaven and 
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 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" (vv. 19-20). [The 365-Day Devotional 
Commentary] 

My dearest child,
   The world holds out to you a surface sort of happiness that 
depends on favorable circumstances. But I hold out joy. 
   The world offers relationships fraught with hidden agendas 
and self-serving motives. I offer love, gracious and unconditional. 
   The world holds out blame and shame and condemnation. I hold 
out forgiveness and the road to a new beginning. 
   The world rewards you with addictions and compulsions and 
momentary gratification. But I will fill you with peace that passes 
understanding. 
   The world offers broken contracts, vows, and promises. I give 
you my Word, that never changes. 
   The world runs hot and cold. One day you're valued and 
respected; the next you're forgotten like yesterday's headlines. But my 
character is love, and I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. 
   Oh, my child, do not fall in love with the world. It holds 
out to you only an imitation of life. I hold out life, abundant and 
free. Choose real life!  
   Your God.  by Claire Cloninger; Postcards from Heaven.

1 Choose Christ
I choose kindness ...
   I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone, kind to the 
rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God 
has treated me. 
I choose goodness...
   1 will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I 
will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will 
accuse. I chose goodness. 
I choose faithfulness...
   Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret 
their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not 
question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will 
not come home. 
I choose gentleness...
   Nothing is won by force. I chose to be gentle.
   If I raise my voice may it only be in praise.
   If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer.
   If I make a demand, may it only be of myself.
I chose self-control...
   I am a spiritual being...
   After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let 
what will rot, rule the eternal. 
   I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be 
impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God.  
   I will be taught only by Christ.
   1 choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 
gentleness, and self-control. 
   To these I commit my day.
   If I succeed, I will give thanks.
   If I fail, I will seek his grace.
   And then, when this day is done,
   I will place my head on my pillow and rest. by Max Lucado; 
When God Whispers Your Name. 

CROSS REFERENCES

John 17:3 (KJV) And this is life eternal, that they might know 
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

1 John 5:11-12 (KJV) And this is the record, that God hath given 
to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath 
the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not 
life. 

John 11:25-26 (KJV) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, 
and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet 
shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never 
die. Believest thou this? 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY:

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2006/20061005-1844.html

EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON EXPERIENCING GOD RECENTLY COMPLETED:


http://sda.biggytv.com/watch/Revive!_-_Dwight_Nelson:_Experiencing_Gods_Grace/revive/  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Grace Notes: http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php

Excellent Spiritual Resource Site: 
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/   

More Spiritual Resources: http://www.aBible.com