On Wednesday, I started the morning by reading my Bible. I try to do that every day, but sometimes life gets in the way. That day, I hadn’t sat down to read since Saturday morning. After writing the date in my notebook, I jotted down this thought: “Too long between devos again—and it shows!”
It was true. The beginning of the week just seemed harder for some reason. I got weepy and worried about situations that normally wouldn’t have fazed me.
I usually read a few chapters, but that day I could only read one. A verse at the end of Deuteronomy 30 jumped out at me. I wrote it down and underlined the action verbs:
“Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life.” (Deuteronomy 30:20 NLT, 1996 version)
I circled the word “life” a couple of times and dropped my pen.
That’s what I had been missing all week! Life had felt hard and meaningless because I had neglected to spend time with the one who really is my life. How could I have forgotten?
I kept my notebook open on my desk and went back to read that verse several times the rest of the week. It’s helped me to remember that I have a choice.
I can stumble along on my own, tripping over my faults and failures, or I can choose to love, obey, and commit to the LORD—my life!
It truly does make a difference. Every single day.
“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.” (Deuteronomy 30:19–20 NLT)
Have you been choosing life or death lately? How can focusing on God help you to choose life? What will it look like as you love God, obey him, and commit yourself to him?