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Word of the Day: Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33-36

Word of the Day

19"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." Deuteronomy 30:19-20

As we walk through the pages of the Bible a few things become very evident. Things like God is the beginning of everything, He is absolutely sovereign, He is perfect in character and all He does, and He is love! This is obviously not an exhaustive list as He is endless and far beyond us (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33-36). The fact that God is love and commands us to love Him and love people is how we choose life!

Love is directly connected to the second "how" to choose life in Deuteronomy 30:20. First, it's by loving the Lord your God. Second, it's by obeying His voice. In reality God spells our love for Him o-b-e-d-i-e-n-c-e! From His perspective love and obedience are synonymous terms. Consider what Jesus shares with His disciples right before He goes to the cross:
15"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15
21"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." John 14:21
23Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. John 14:23
12"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14"You are My friends if you do what I command you. John 15:12-14

To choose life is to choose to obey Him, to choose to find out what He wants us to do and do as we're told. Fortunately for us, He empowers us to accomplish the very thing He calls us to do by His Holy Spirit. Think about the most difficult person in your life. Think about God's mandate to love that person just as He loves us. It's these people that we'd just as soon never see again let along loving them according to 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." Whatever God calls us to do, He Himself will empower us to do it…even loving our enemies which might people in our own family, neighborhood, or work place.

"Father, thank you for loving me when I was Your enemy! Please empower me by Your Holy Spirit to obey You in all You ask of me, even loving my enemies. In Jesus awesome Name I pray. Amen!

His Kingdom Come,
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