DEUTERONOMY 30:19-20: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” NLT
‭‭
OBSERVATION: When was the last time you were faced with a big decision? There were two choices in front of you. Both of them seemed good but you did not know which one to take. Now, imagine the same scenario, yet the choices are not both good. There is a clear and obvious choice to make and yet…we make the wrong one. Why?

This is the scenario our world is in today. There is a clear choice between the pathway of life and the pathway of death. God has given us His Word, He has sent His only begotten Son to die in our place, and He has defeated sin and death through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In just a little more than a week millions with gather to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ while millions will continue down the wrong path.

It is hard to understand why people continue to choose death instead of life.

Many people have a view of God as someone who takes pleasure in judging sinners. They look at the inequality of this world and ask – “If God is a God of love then why is there so much evil and suffering?” They turn their back on His invitation, They miss the declaration of God’s heart and His pleading to all of His creation to choose life!

• “Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

If God was indifferent to man’s plight He never would have sent Jesus to die for our sins. Think of the sacrifice Jesus made to give Himself as our sacrifice for sins. He humbled Himself, laid down all of the glory and power He enjoyed in heaven, came to earth as a humble human baby and was born in a dirty manger, worked as a simple carpenter as a trade, and then He was rejected by the very creation He came to save!

These are not the actions of an indifferent God!

Then why doesn’t God just fix everything? Why does he leave the choice up to mankind? Love, true love, demands a choice. God gives us the gift and freedom of choice. He gives us this gift even though He knows that most will abuse it and choose death over life. Adam and Eve misused this gift of choice, as all who followed them have done. Jesus, in His discourse with Nicodemus addresses this tragic reality.

• “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” ‭‭John‬ ‭3:18-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Think of it! God has revealed His light, His love, His nature, and His will through the person and work of Jesus Christ. And, yet – man continues to choose darkness over light, death over life. The reason there is so much evil and suffering in the world today is not because of an indifferent God. It is because of indifferent men and women. God has called to us through His creation. God has called to us through His Son. God has called to us though the cross and the empty Tomb. And, God has called to us through His Word!

It is not a difficult choice. It is not hidden or hard to find. It is not for the elite and enlightened. It is open and available to all men and women who will acknowledge the truth and their need for a Savior!

We have a clear choice to make! A BIG CHOICE TO MAKE!

• “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach. It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:11-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

• “In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Romans‬ ‭10:8-10‬ ‭NLT

What will this Easter mean to you? Will it be another Sunday to go camping or sit at home and watch TV. Will it just be another day where you work or do chores around the house. Will it find you with a hardened heart of unbelief as you dismiss Easter as another silly Christian holiday. Or – will you hear the message of faith in Jesus Christ? Will you open up the eyes of your heart and make life’s greatest choice. Will you hear God’s heart, His call, and His plea –

CHOOSE LIFE! CHOOSE ‬‬JESUS! CHOOSE FAITH!

Lord, this Easter we all have a big choice to make. We can choose to go on with our broken lives and bitter hearts. Or we can come to you in sincere repentance and place our faith in Jesus Christ who is the source of Life! Lord, I pray that hundreds, yes millions, will hear the call of Your Holy Spirit to them today and that they will…

CHOOSE LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!

In Jesus Name!