Choose Life

Day 38: Deuteronomy 26–30; Proverbs 27–31; Acts 19–21

What makes for a life...the good life?  We might think of financial wealth to live in ease and have everything you could possibly want.  I heard just today a story about a wealthy man here in Indianapolis who hired the legendary Ray Charles to perform in his him for his birthday.  I thought to myself, "It's good to be the king!"  I also heard an NFL football professional say that celebrity status is empty, a vanity, a chasing after the wind.  Popularity, wealth and status do not make Life. 

Moses summarizes the law in Deuteronomy and reminds the people of Israel to keep it when the enter the Promised Land.  For covenant obedience God promises prosperity, protection, privilege and peace.  For disobedience, just the opposite will occur...poverty, plague, putdown and peril.  (That's a lot of "P's")

Moses ends his big sermon by saying, "today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life (Deut. 30:19)."

The blessings of obedience are lifted in the Proverbs continually in the form of wisdom and understanding, compassion and integrity.  If one pursues wisdom and righteousness, they will be blessed.  If they rebel, their downfall is certain.

Happy is the one who is always reverent,
    but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

The one who lives with integrity will be helped,
    but one who distorts right and wrong
    will suddenly fall.

A faithful man will have many blessings,
    but one in a hurry to get rich
    will not go unpunished.  (Pr. 28:14, 18, 20)

The wise know the source of life. It come from obedience to God's truth revealed to us in scripture.

The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor. (Pr. 21:21)

But there is in the gospels and the Acts of the Apostles that seems to point to Life beyond this mortal existence in such a way that obedience to Christ, even to death, means the fullest life possible.  Jesus taught that He came to give the abundant life, life overflowing (Jn 10:10).  And he also taught that if one wants to save their life, they will lose it, but if they lose their life for Him and the gospel, they will gain Life (Mat. 10:39; 16:25; Mk. 8:35; Lk. 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25).

Paul seems to be captive to this very thought.  He considers his life nothing compare to knowing Jesus Christ (Phil 3:8).  As he wraps up his third missionary journey, Paul finds himself called by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem and suffer.  On his way there he stops along the way and encourages the Christian communities in he helped to foster.  At Ephesus, the disciples are heartbroken to hear they will never see Paul's face again (Acts 20:37-38).  And at Caesarea, the disciples try to detain him to save his life, but Paul rebukes them tenderly saying, ""What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13)."   They stopped begging him not to go.  They finally recognized that Paul was determined by a spiritual force beyond their compassion to keep him from harm.  "The Lord's will be done," they conceded.

Jesus made the same choice.  He asked not to suffer the cross by asking the cup to pass from Him at Gethsemane, but in the end His prayer was, "not my will, by Your will be done, Father (Lk. 22:42)." 

But by His sacrifice Life was poured out on us all through the exalted Christ.  The Holy Spirit fills His church and we are walking by faith toward eternal life in the knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son.

What makes for Life is The One who is Life, Jesus Christ.  All who come to Him will have Life and have it to the full.