Many believe today that their lives are predestined by God. That no matter what they do the outcome is already determined. They quote verses like Psalms 139:13 – “For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” And verses like Jeremiah 29:11 – “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” While all of this is absolutely true, you still have a part to play. God certainly wanted you born when you were born, and God definitely wants the best for your life. But you are not a puppet. God is not sitting in heaven and pulling your strings. Proof is, If he was, there would be no evil in the world. No murder, no rape, no school shootings, no sexual abuse, no racism. However, the truth is, every one of us is given the freedom to make choices.
In Deuteronomy 30:15-16 it says – “15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.”
There are 3 steps given in Deuteronomy 30:16 that we must follow when we choose life. The first is to “love” the Lord your God. The second is to keep his commandments, and the third is to “Walk” in his ways.
In this life, you will have to make many difficult choices. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” In other words, we suffer pain today, to enjoy gain tomorrow. Let me ask you a question. Are you making the hard choices today, that will one day grant you the opportunity to live with God in eternity? I pray you are.
