Life or Death

Jeff

Today is Monday, the 6th of February, in the season of Epiphany.

May the peace of Christ be with you always!

Day 23,706

I think I did pretty good at the reading, yesterday morning. It was a good service, all around. The young lady who played guitar and sang did a marvelous job singing “Blessed Assurance.” And the music director and I nailed down a song for me to sing on February 26. But I mentioned that in yesterday’s blog entry because I didn’t finish it until I got home from church.

Our C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity discussion group continues to go well. We are having some great discussion/conversation, and don’t ever seem to be able to get through all the material, each week. We will not be meeting this coming Sunday evening because of some important sports event. Either that or because it’s Lincoln’s birthday. One of those.

Things are back to normal (whatever that means) after last week’s winter storm. C is back in the office, this morning, and I plan a grocery trip after I finish my devotional, this morning.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

I hate the double-minded, 
but I love your law.
(Psalms 119:113 NRSV)

Daily Prayer from Plough.com

Dear Father in heaven, we come before your presence with thanksgiving and rejoice that you are with us on earth. Even though we have many struggles and temptations and even though problems crowd in upon us, we know that we are in your hands and that everything must go according to your will. Hold us securely in your hand. Help us to bear all that we find hard, for we know you are in control and you lead everything to a good end. The darker and more difficult it may seem, the more clearly your hand will reveal the victory in those whose lives are founded in eternity, whose lives cannot end in sorrow but will end in your glory. Amen.

I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, 
because you have seen my affliction; 
you have taken heed of my adversities, 
and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; 
you have set my feet in a broad place.
(Psalms 31:7-8 NRSV)

Today I am grateful:

  • for the knowledge that, even though we have struggles, temptations, and problems, God’s will must come to pass, and we are firmly in His hands.
  • for milder temperatures this week, along with some predicted rain
  • that the Lord placed it in my heart to choose life over death; may I be faithful to follow His commands
  • that winter weather is a sign of good things to come
  • that I’m not worrying about things I cannot control
A Song of Ascents. Of David. 

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, 
my eyes are not raised too high; 
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, 
like a weaned child with its mother; 
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
 O Israel, hope in the LORD 
from this time on and forevermore.
(Psalms 131:1-3 NRSV)
Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. 

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
(Deuteronomy 30:11-20 NRSV)

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
(Matthew 10:29-31 NRSV)

"Law, in his terrible, cool voice, said, . . . 'If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead.' Those are hard words to take. Will it really make no difference whether it was women or patriotism, cocaine or art, whisky or a seat in the Cabinet, money or science? Well, surely no difference that matters. We shall have missed the end for which we are formed and rejected the only thing that satisfies. Does it matter to a man dying in a desert by which choice of route he missed the only well?" 
(C.S. Lewis, from "A Slip of the Tongue," The Weight of Glory, quoted in The C.S. Lewis Bible, in reference to Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

I have long admired the words of Psalm 131, one of the songs of ascent. “I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” That’s a challenge for us humans, isn’t it? But consider the words of C.S. Lewis, in relation to the passage from Deuteronomy 30. We have two choice; life and death. It truly doesn’t matter which form of “death” we choose, if we do not choose life.

A man might think to himself, “I’ve only had a little bit of a temper problem, or I just participated in a little bit of office gossip. I haven’t murdered anyone!” C.S. Lewis would also argue, in a passage from Mere Christianity that our group has not yet gotten to, that that doesn’t matter, either. The internal effect of both sins is the same.

I have long argued that, from God’s perspective, a sin is a sin is a sin; doesn’t matter if it’s a little white lie or adultery or murder or going a little bit faster than the speed limit. Certainly, speeding, from man’s perspective, is not as bad as murder, and it should not be! But we aren’t talking about that.

If I am striving to not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me, I need not worry about all of those considerations. I need not worry about what I’m going to eat, drink, or wear, and need to remember that I am more valuable to God than “many sparrows.”

We just had a bit of rough weather, last week. It wasn’t nearly as bad as “Snovid 21,” but most people were stuck at home for at least two full days. In this respect, we can also choose between “life and death.” We can complain about the weather (and I will admit that I got mildly depressed by Thursday evening, simply from being stuck at home), or we can look forward to what winter weather heralds . . . spring flowers.

Here’s the thing . . . once again; two choices. Life and death. There is only one aspect in which that decision is truly a “life or death decision,” and that is our choice about whether to follow Christ or not. But there are many smaller choices in our lives that lean toward life and death. Choosing life means choosing to look forward to spring flowers, rather than dwelling in the midst of the dreary winter weather. Choosing life means not getting upset when the Internet doesn’t work, and being grateful for the other blessings from God. Choosing life means not stressing about national politics when I have heaven to look forward to. Choosing life means believing that God will take care of me because I’m more valuable than a bunch of birds. Choosing life means not worrying about the things we can’t control.

Remember the words of Moses:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
(Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NRSV)

Father, I thank You that I have chosen life, and that, because of Your grace and mercy in my life, as well as the direction of Your Holy Spirit, I continue to lean toward choosing life in daily situations. I confess that I still get upset over “footstool problems,” but I also acknowledge that You are working on and in me, actively, because I seem to be getting better at these things. I pray that You continue to do so. I pray for the ability to submit to You in all things, and to always believe and act as though I believe that others are more significant/important than myself. In this way, I can love others as Jesus has loved us. I believe this is possible, and desire it in my life.

Help me to be one who cheerfully displays the Gospel of Christ, that Your Kingdom is available now for all who desire to walk in it. And help me, above all things, to show love; love for You and love for others.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
(John 10:10 NRSV)

Grace and peace, friends.

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