References: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Philemon 1-20; Luke 14:25-33
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Moses said to all Israel the words which the Lord commanded him, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose Life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, a
nd to Jacob."
Today’s lessons seem rooted in the Old Testament reading. Moses lays out for the people of Israel the possibility of choice…that it is within them to Choose Life! God promises his people that He will hold up his end of the bargain. In the chapters immediately preceding today’s lesson we are reminded that in the face of Israel’s sin and disobedience, God still saw to it that in their wanderings in the desert their clothes did not tear and their shoes did not wear out. God is faithful and can be trusted. But the choice to live by the commandments, loving the Lord, and living a God-focused life is ours for the choosing.
Think of the commandments…don’t steal, commit adultery, dishonor your family, swear, kill, lie, etc. There is a reason God warns against mistreating each other. There isn’t any one of those behaviors that is life-giving or brings peace or joy. This doesn’t apply just to people who go to church…it’s innately true in what it is to be human. God knows that. Steal, lie, kill…do it, and you will be miserable. You will die from the inside out.
The Psalmist continues the same theme when he/she writes: ‘happy are they who have not walked in wicked ways’. It’s not so much that God sits in judgement and says, “you’re doomed”, but rather that our choices doom us by cheating us from becoming the person we were made to be.
In the Philemon passage, Paul writes to his friend, a slave owner, and asks him to set his servant free. Onesimus was a runaway slave who had been converted to follow Jesus Christ through Paul’s ministry and teaching. Paul had taken this fledgling under his wing. But the time was coming for Paul to return him to his ‘owner’ with the hope that Philemon would set him free from the bonds of legal title. Paul notes that as a slave, Onesimus was a runaway…and useless to anyone. But free, he could benefit both his former owner and Paul. Onesimus had gone through a change of heart. Onesimus, like all of us, would be of more value when he could freely choose to serve rather than being expected to serve under the bond of slavery. Again, these are not particularly deep spiritual teachings…they are pretty common insights into the nature of what it is to be human. Paul is telling Philemon that by Choosing Life and setting his servant free he would receive more joy than he would gain holding on to Onesimus’ title.
Even the Gospel writer encourages the reader to Choose Life by letting go of unhealthy attachments (whether family or possessions) and to place God first and foremost in one’s life.
Have you ever had an experience where you wanted something, and the harder you tried the farther you moved from your desired goal? And, have you ever had to let that same desire go, only to find it returned to you a thousand fold?
‘If you want to be my disciple’, says Jesus, Choose Life…let go of those things that separate you from putting God first in your life. Learn what it is to cooperate with what it is to be truly human. Obey God’s commandments…they are there for a reason. Set free those whom you are afraid to loose. Holding on is choking both of you and creates a seedbed of anger.
Choose Life!
regards
Harry
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Moses said to all Israel the words which the Lord commanded him, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose Life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, a
nd to Jacob."Today’s lessons seem rooted in the Old Testament reading. Moses lays out for the people of Israel the possibility of choice…that it is within them to Choose Life! God promises his people that He will hold up his end of the bargain. In the chapters immediately preceding today’s lesson we are reminded that in the face of Israel’s sin and disobedience, God still saw to it that in their wanderings in the desert their clothes did not tear and their shoes did not wear out. God is faithful and can be trusted. But the choice to live by the commandments, loving the Lord, and living a God-focused life is ours for the choosing.
Think of the commandments…don’t steal, commit adultery, dishonor your family, swear, kill, lie, etc. There is a reason God warns against mistreating each other. There isn’t any one of those behaviors that is life-giving or brings peace or joy. This doesn’t apply just to people who go to church…it’s innately true in what it is to be human. God knows that. Steal, lie, kill…do it, and you will be miserable. You will die from the inside out.
The Psalmist continues the same theme when he/she writes: ‘happy are they who have not walked in wicked ways’. It’s not so much that God sits in judgement and says, “you’re doomed”, but rather that our choices doom us by cheating us from becoming the person we were made to be.
In the Philemon passage, Paul writes to his friend, a slave owner, and asks him to set his servant free. Onesimus was a runaway slave who had been converted to follow Jesus Christ through Paul’s ministry and teaching. Paul had taken this fledgling under his wing. But the time was coming for Paul to return him to his ‘owner’ with the hope that Philemon would set him free from the bonds of legal title. Paul notes that as a slave, Onesimus was a runaway…and useless to anyone. But free, he could benefit both his former owner and Paul. Onesimus had gone through a change of heart. Onesimus, like all of us, would be of more value when he could freely choose to serve rather than being expected to serve under the bond of slavery. Again, these are not particularly deep spiritual teachings…they are pretty common insights into the nature of what it is to be human. Paul is telling Philemon that by Choosing Life and setting his servant free he would receive more joy than he would gain holding on to Onesimus’ title.
Even the Gospel writer encourages the reader to Choose Life by letting go of unhealthy attachments (whether family or possessions) and to place God first and foremost in one’s life.
Have you ever had an experience where you wanted something, and the harder you tried the farther you moved from your desired goal? And, have you ever had to let that same desire go, only to find it returned to you a thousand fold?
‘If you want to be my disciple’, says Jesus, Choose Life…let go of those things that separate you from putting God first in your life. Learn what it is to cooperate with what it is to be truly human. Obey God’s commandments…they are there for a reason. Set free those whom you are afraid to loose. Holding on is choking both of you and creates a seedbed of anger.
Choose Life!
regards
Harry
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