The Choice

"Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship Gods you have not known before."   -Deuteronomy 11


There he stood, all two-and-a-half-feet of his two-and-a-half-year-old self fully engaged with the decision at hand. "Sorry buddy", his mother, my daughter, explained to him, "We don't always get we want." She continued, "If you choose to continue to whine and throw a fit, you'll have to sit in timeout. If you choose to nicely and calmly find something else to do, you're welcome to stay here with all of us. It's your choice." 

Moses was having just such a conversation with the people of Israel in preparation for their entrance into the promised land. He reminded them of all that God had done for them in the past. He painted two crystal clear pictures of what their future could be. He even identified two mountains to bear witness to these two pictures of either blessing or cursing. Obedience leads to blessing. Disobedience leads to cursing. It's your choice. 

I find it absolutely unfathomable how I so often think I know better than God. What about you? He made this world. He designed us to live in this world. He lays out in great detail how to best function in this world. He knows everything. We know virtually nothing. He loves perfectly. We're dismal amateurs and hit and miss at best. And yet, we think we know better..?!?! Graciously, God has given us his Word, his Son and his Holy Spirit. Now, whether or not we listen to them is left for us to decide. It's our choice.

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