This verse is so powerful:
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” Dt 30:19 NIV
Life or death. Guess which one corresponds to reacting? You see, reacting is when all that yuck from deep inside of us, that MMI mentality, comes flying uncontrolled to the surface and vomits all over the situation. For example, if someone yells at you, do you yell right back? Responding, on the other hand, takes a moment. Thinks about what is happening. Turns to God and prays. Then does its best to obey what God would have them do. And like I said yesterday, even when we mess up, because we will, we are quick to apologize and make recompense. That would be responding and that would be choosing life. It requires something from us that we can only get from God, humility. Real humility, none of this false, “Oh, I am such a lowly sinner that I am always messing up” garbage.
First, if you are sincerely born again, you are no longer a sinner who can only sin. You are a saint who still sins. That’s a huge difference there! Again, a sinner sins. That is there only choice. But a saint CAN choose between life and death because they have Life within them. Are you getting this? I know this is deep, but if you only want to stand at the edge of the waters and dip your toes in now and again, we will never truly and increasingly sense the Abundant Life, God wants for us. There is nothing superficial about God. He wants to live in our hearts, mature us from the inside out, then help us display His Love to others through the choices we make. Are we freely and willingly wanting that too?
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
9- 1Pe 5:7
10- Jn 8:32
11- Dt 30:19
<>< Peace, Diane
