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ecently, while flipping through the channels trying to find
something entertaining and informative to watch on TV, I stopped to watch a
short infomercial. This particular show
advertised computer classes to help you get ahead in the job market and to help
you make a wonderful salary. One of the interviews
was with a young man who talked on and on about how great the program was and
how his increased salary had helped him afford things he never had before. When the interviewer asked him what his
motivation for taking the classes was, he didn’t hesitate one instant but
answered straightforwardly, “To make a better life for my family and myself!”
I sat there and let that statement sink in for just a few
minutes. From what I could observe from
the infomercial, this man had increased his salary, purchased a nice home,
owned two cars, and wore beautiful clothes.
For all intents and purposes, society would say that he had definitely
arrived and was in a position to improve his lifestyle as well as that of his
family. But had he really made a better
life for himself? That was the question.
When I was growing up, I remember my dad telling me that all
parents wished a better life for their children. While I knew he wanted me to avail myself of
opportunities he didn’t have, I could never figure out what about my life
needed improving. I had my own bed, I
had my own clothes, I had a wonderful family, I had plenty to eat, and I was
warm and dry.
As I grew older, however, I began to understand that the
choices I made could determine just how good my life would be. If I made wise selections, I would be able to
enjoy life more fully than if I squandered my choices and acted foolishly. Still, I learned that the quality of life is
not based on the things we can afford to keep but on the things we can’t afford
to lose!
The children of Israel had a similar choice during their
Exodus from Egypt. They had an
opportunity to make a better life for themselves and for their children. However, their success would depend on the
choices they made and Moses wanted to make sure they understood how to choose
wisely.
In Deuteronomy
30:18-20,
Moses gives the people explicit instructions about securing and making a better
life for themselves: “I declare to you this day that you will
certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the
Jordan
After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, the
people are ready to cross over into the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. Notice the choice Moses gives
the people. It is a choice between life
and death, between curses and blessings.
His advice to the people is to choose life. It would seem that this choice was evident
but given the track record of the people coming out of Egypt , Moses
wanted to make sure they understood the consequences of choosing poorly. He tells the people to choose life and
continues by saying that the Lord is their life. In other words, we choose a better life when
we choose God. This choice would not
only bring life to the people but to their children as well.
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he same choice is ours today. We are free to choose so we must choose
wisely. The only choice we have, the
only choice that leads to life, is God.
We come to Him through the knowledge of Jesus Christ who promised life
to all who believed in Him. Do you want
to make and have a better life? God is
waiting for you to make your decision for Him.
What choice will you make today?
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