In Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (NLT), Moses warned the Children of Israel to be careful to obey the commands God had given them. If you think of all the miraculous signs and wonders by the hand of God they had seen, it is hard to imagine why the Israelites would need to be warned. God had given them specific commandments, and it should have been enough for them to simply hear and obey, but that wasn’t the case. Repeatedly, God reminded them of His delivering power, because they would not listen to or heed His instructions.
The Children of Israel had a choice. They could choose to love the Lord their God by walking in His ways and holding tightly to Him, or they could allow their hearts to be deceived, and worship idol gods. This is a no-brainer, but throughout biblical history, we see God’s people deviating time after time from what they knew to be true.
As people that want to be blessed and to have a really good life, most of us will look for the quickest route to getting what we want. Like God's people that lived during Old Testament times, some of us abdicate the way God has shown us through the example of Jesus Christ. We neglect our relationship with Him, and fall into disobedience. We know what God’s Word says, but we will place our agendas and our desires above pleasing God.
Jesus Christ commands in Mark 12:30(NLT), “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” God didn’t want robots. He wanted a family. He wanted children that would love Him because they chose to, not because they had to. Love is a decision. You and I are free to make the choice as to whether we will walk in God’s love through obedience to His Word and be blessed, or whether we will love the world and forfeit the destiny God has ordained for our lives. The choice is completely ours to make.
Adam and Eve decided that they no longer wanted to honor God's sovereignty. They wanted to be independent. God wants a relationship with us, but it is one in which He is the Leader, and we are the followers. It can't be the other way around. God is our Creator. He knows what is best for every single person that is living or that has ever lived. He has given us the truth, and this truth--the truth of His Word, will lead and guide us to a life that is pleasing to God and is fulfilling and meaningful to us as well. Jesus Christ told us in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life. The world has refused him; therefore, the world has refused the truth. We can and should make a different choice. We can choose love. We choose love by rejecting the disobedient action that Adam and Eve took, and instead, we must make the choice to follow the example of the Master, because he is the embodiment of God's love.
We don’t need to do anything but look at the news to see how foolish and perilous the world has become as a result of refusing to accept Jesus Christ. It is riddled with fear, lust, envy, jealousy and pain, all symptoms of a cursed life. This is what a life looks like without the foundation of God’s love. As believers, we must choose to obey God’s Word. Let’s make a greater commitment to stand upon it. It isn’t burdensome. It’s a choice to more fully love God, and to love others His way.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
"Choose Love", written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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