Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV) reads: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.”
While the context of this passage is where God is reviewing His covenant with Israel before entering the Promised Land, there is a fundamental principle set forth: Choice. And note that God is pleading with His people—that includes all that are His—to choose life.
God’s love for each of us is His choice.
When God told Abraham that he was going to have offspring that would be as numerous as the sands of the sea, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). Abraham was old when God made the promise and Sarah was way beyond child-bearing years, yet Abraham chose to believe God.
At Gethsemane, Jesus fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39; NKJV). What is being expressed here? Jesus is choosing to submit Himself to the Father’s will.
As we go through the Bible we find over and over again people choosing to accept God’s word. Over and over again we see the commands of the Lord: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31; NKJV); “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36; ESV);one of my favorites: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9; ESV); Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Phillipians 4:6; NKJV); just to show a few.
The point is nowhere do we find, “When you feel [insert verse here]…” or “If you feel like [insert verse here]…” So what does that tell us? That everything we do is a choice not a feeling. As Christians, we have to choose to believe; we have to choose to be brave; we have to choose to be courageous; we have to choose to love others as ourselves.
Did Jesus die for all our sins? Of course He did! And we choose to believe He did! When we accept Christ as our savior, it is our choice. He never forces anyone to trust in Him.
What impact could God have in our lives and those around us if we chose to believe Him? And what victory could we have in Christ if we start choosing life by submitting our lives to His will and not how we feel?
Choose to trust in Jesus and “just stand up.”
Christ is our rest. -Matthew 11:28