God’s laws as presented by Moses have not been given to restrict the people but to give them a thriving life. God wants the best for his children. We should focus on the loving God who is looking out for our best interests. While God wants all of his children to obey and choose life, he created us with minds that can make decisions.
God didn’t want to make robots that were programmed to do his will. He blessed us with minds that can think, reason, choose, and experience emotion. It is definitely a blessing to have these abilities. But we have our limits, too. We often limit ourselves by beliefs and lies we have told ourselves or heard from others. There are so many messages flooding our consciousness. Deciphering and filtering through them can be a challenge.
When we read this text, it seems like it should be simple enough. Choose God and you have life or choose other gods and you die. What about other decisions like what house to buy, or what to wear today, or where to live, or what to cook for supper? Those are questions of life we have the freedom to answer for ourselves (in most cultures that is). What I try to do is make sure those “every day kind of decisions” all glorify God in some way.
Imagine Moses asked this of you, “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster.” What is your response? Are you all in for God? It’s helpful to remember that God doesn’t desire to make our lives more difficult. He knows our struggles.
Moses writes, “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach.” God enters our lives to remove the difficult and impossible. I like to think that the word “can’t” is no longer in my vocabulary when God is by my side. If God asks us to do something, he will take the “im” out of the impossible and make it possible.
We see time and again the promises of God in the Bible. They are there to give us encouragement to accept his challenge for our lives. When we accept the challenge we are assured that our lives will never be boring or ineffective and most certainly productive and fulfilling.
One last thought for today, especially if you are thinking about wanting to leave a legacy for your children. A legacy of faithfulness. Think of Moses’ audience that day. Many of those who had left Egypt with Moses were already dead or about to die. The remaining generations had experienced heartache and witnessed the failure of their parents (or grandparents). Did they want to make the same mistakes? Or did they want to provide stability for their own children and children’s children? Would they choose life or death? What about you?
Let’s pray. Lord, you are the giver of life, and I thank you for the life you have given me. I choose life, to stand by you, to proclaim you as my God, to listen for your call on my life. I pray that the way I live my life and make my choices will reflect you and point toward you. I know people are watching. May I be faithful to you in all things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
