Friday, November 22 Deuteronomy 28- It's your choice.

Through Moses, the Lord God places a choice before Israel… fully obey the Lord and follow all His commands and God’s blessings will be full and tangible. If you choose not to obey and follow His commands, the curses of God will be horrendous. The choice laid out before Israel is clear and the consequences equally so.

I was horrified reading the consequences of disobedience… that choice brought with it horrific consequences. Why would anyone in their right mind choose disobedience? And yet, they did.

Two “qualifying” words caught my eye, FULLY obey and ALL his commands both in verse 1. They leave no wiggle room, no space for self-justification or situation ethics. FULLY obey ALL God’s commands, period. Was this even possible?

I sat here this morning realizing how blessed I am to be living ‘post-Jesus’ in the time of the New Testament. Yes, God still presents the choice to follow. Yes, the choice with its consequences remains clear. But for those who say ‘Yes’ to following Jesus, God sends within us the promised Holy Spirit, who guides us to follow and empowers us to do so! Not only that, but God offers the grace of forgiveness along the way so if/when we slip up and fall. If/when the old nature bent toward sin pulls us off course, God offers forgiveness and restoration when we confess and return to Him.

Ah, the joy of walking with Jesus… the blessings of God, the grace and mercy of God, the love of God and the joy of knowing and being known by Jesus, the Father and the Spirit.

This is the life I choose. I choose to follow Jesus, the Father and the Spirit. Amen.

Lord, I choose this day and every day to obey You and to follow You. I choose You. And I affirm this with joy and singing this morning. I choose to follow You… Amen.